


Frozen Heart

by The_Omni_Princess



Series: Frozen Heart [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Friends, Explicit Language, F/M, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Kidnapping, King!Bucky, Minor Injuries, Modern Royalty, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Prince!Steve, Princess!Reader, Romantic Fluff, Serious Injuries, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Torture, Violence, king!steve, specific tags on each chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 10:51:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 55,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20544947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Omni_Princess/pseuds/The_Omni_Princess
Summary: After the war against Hydra, King Bucky comes home to take what has been promised to him since he was young, you. But he is not the same person as the young boy that you grew up with. Can she break through his tough shell and bring back the young man she once fell in love with? Or will she be forced to marry the monster everyone thinks he’s become?





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya guys! This is the first chapter of a series.  
Here are the specific warnings for this chapter:
> 
> War, angst (slight), hella violence, mentions of torture and bad things happening to good people.

Waiting. That’s all Princess Y/N of the Southern Lands ever seemed to do anymore. Wait. Wait to be older, wait for her brother to return, wait for her love to return to her, wait for the war to end, just wait. The Great War started just months before your birthday. You were to come of age and be wed to the man you’ve been promised to since you were both children running in the halls. The war stole many things from you, your sanity, your promised, your brother. As far as the letters said, both were alive, but both were fighting for their lives, never knowing if they would make it out alive.

When the war started, your parents, the King, and Queen of the Southern Lands, were apprehensive to send their only son, the Heir to the Southern Throne, out to fight. But true to his nature, your older brother Steve did everything in his power to join his best friend, Prince James, on the front lines. He asked, pleaded, begged, he even made a compelling powerpoint slide show; your older brother by two years wanted nothing more than to fight the Hydra forces invading the edges of your territory.

After months, your parents caved, sending your brother off to die. According to Natasha, your Lady in Waiting, that thought was a bit overdramatic, yet with your parents signing more and more letters of Death Notices from the front lines, your worry for your brother and your betrothed grew. The wedding that had been planned for after your birthday was postponed until further notice and all you could do was hope for both your brother and your love’s safe returns.

Only three years older than you, you grew up with your betrothed, Prince James Buchanan of the Northern Lands, or as he always insisted, Bucky. He was a year older than Steve but seeing as the latter always seemed to get himself in trouble, Bucky was there to promptly get him out of trouble. You’ve both known you were to eventually be married after you came of age since you were both merely teens, and soon you found yourself falling for the dorky yet charming boy you have been best friends with since you could walk. You went to classes with him and your brother, trained together, and since you’ve been a child, before responsibility and duty came into play, you three were inseparable. Movie nights, walks in the garden, a chat over some tea, whenever Bucky was around to annoy and/or protect Steve, he was there with you as well. It only made sense that you fell head over heels with him.

Your parents were firm in their belief that everyone should be educated, including you. The usual and traditional Princess etiquette classes were a must, but you also participated in languages, history, economics, the sciences, and your favorite, combat. That’s where you currently found yourself, in hand-to-hand combat with Natasha. Although she was (officially) your Lady in Waiting, Natasha was much more than the fiery yet innocent redhead she presented herself to be to the outside world.

Sweaty, panting, muscles aching for relief, you pinned Natasha down to the training mats. You hoped that the harsh move would make her yearn for a water break, so you could give yourself a much-needed break as well, but alas, the redhead simply smirked up at you, amused at your efforts. “I know your stressed Y/N, but I feel like you should take that out on the punching bags and not me.”

You groaned, lifting yourself off of her. “You’re the one who wanted to spar so badly,” you spat back at her, crossing your arms across your chest after you helped her up to her feet. It was true, you were very much indeed stressed. It had been weeks since you last heard from your brother. The last letter he sent was vague to say the least, but it elated you, as he was finally coming home. “I just want him back home Nat, and maybe he will finally tell me about what had happened to Bucky.”

When Hydra started to press against the border between their nation and his own, Bucky was forced by his parents to leave for the front lines. You had heard multiple stories as to what had happened there, as Bucky would always try to send letters, and once Steve was there, he almost always took the time to send letters to you and your parents as well. Yet soon the letters from your betrothed stopped entirely, and Steve’s begun to sound more hopeless. Bucky had been captured, and you could only presume what had been done to him past what they told you. The sole heir to the Northern Throne, Hydra had plenty of leverage against his kingdom as they held him for ransom, torturing him to try to gain knowledge to kingdom secrets.

To prove their threats credible, they did the unthinkable, they sliced Bucky’s left arm off, sending it to the King and Queen, attached with a video of them torturing him. Your own parents never let you near the video, and the only reason you knew it had even occurred was because Natasha told you. She knew every secret in the kingdom, and she knew how much you cared for your betrothed, so she told you, never one to lie to you. She left out the gritty details, but you got the point, Hydra was breaking your beloved. You thanked every god your ancestors worshipped when a letter arrived stating Steve had rescued Bucky. Of course, they wouldn’t get so lucky as to think that would be their only misfortune.

Leading the Howling Commandoes, warriors chosen personally by Steve and Bucky, they kept pushing back the Hydra forces. Desperate to gain traction on dying grounds, Hydra sent stealth operatives to any opposing forces’ palaces. The one sent to your lands proved unsuccessful, as they had underestimated the training of the princess, of you. They assumed you had been trained like any other princess, in only basic self-defense, so Natasha and you were quick to take the operative down. However, the attempts on the other lands were more successful than the attempt on your own. The one sent to Wakanda, an allying kingdom that lay west of your own borders, assassinated their king, King T’Chaka, before being compromised, forcing Prince T’Challa to ascend the throne. The one sent to the Northern Lands, to your dismay, was also successful in their attempts to assassinate King George and Queen Winifred, forcing Bucky to ascend the throne in the middle of a war, both physically and mentally, as he had only recently been freed from Hydra’s grasp.

Princess Shuri of Wakanda, one of your closest friends and one of the smartest people you’ve ever met, built a robotic prosthetic for Bucky, which was only accepted once his parents were killed. You knew him to be rash at times, but the year that followed the assassinations was one of the bloodiest, death-filled year of the war the nations had seen, yet these deaths weren’t of your own people. Furious at the kingdom that was taking everything away from him, Bucky had rained death down on Hydra. They had named him the Winter Soldier, as he showed no mercy to any Hydra soldier that crossed his path. Those who could flee did, leaving a broken skeleton of an army behind. Defeated and dying, Hydra retreated, signing a declaration of peace, effectively ending the war.

You had only recently received the news that Hydra’s King, Alexander Peirce, had signed the treaty. Now you waited, as per usual, to see your brother again for the first time in five long years. Of course, you had hoped Bucky would follow him, as desperate as it sounded, you had missed him in the years since you had last seen him. However, that wasn’t the case. Bucky returned to his own kingdom, was coronated, and was bombarded into every single matter of the kingdom that his parents had left behind, as well as building it back up now that Hydra was gone. You had hoped he would at least send a letter, as he hadn’t sent one since his capture years ago, yet you received nothing. At the very least, now you would be getting your brother back.

Natasha looked towards you, sadness lingering in her eyes as she spoke, “I think we’re done for the day Y/N. Clean yourself up, your brother should be arriving soon.” You sighed softly, nodding.

“Thank you, Nat. I think I’ll bathe myself today, I would like to be alone.”

Nat grinned, nodding as she replied, “Of course your highness,” she exaggeratedly curtsied, making you giggle, much to her delight. “There’s that smile, now go, I’m sure you and Steve will spend eons tonight talking.”

You ran out of the training rooms, smiling faintly as Sam started to flank your left side. Captain Sam Wilson, your personal guard, and the Captain of the Royal Guard of the Southern Lands, one of the sweetest and most infuriating men you knew. “How was training y/n/n? Nat kick your ass again?” He said teasingly as you both made your way through the castle, heading towards your chambers.

You rolled your eyes, “No, as a matter of fact, I kicked her ass,” you smiled proudly. Nat was probably taking it easy on you today, but you couldn’t have cared less. “Now I’m going to bathe and clean up, please announce when they see my brother at the front gates Sam.”

“Of course, your Highness,” he replied with a smirk, opening the doors to your personal chambers, before closing them and standing dutifully outside them.

Making your way to your bathing chambers, you turned the water on, already disrobing. You were quick to bathe, making sure to wash your hair, wanting the stress of the last five years to drain away with the dirty water pouring down the drain. Thoroughly scrubbed and clean, you turned the water off, quickly drying off before dressing. It was a simple dress, one that resembled one of your old favorites as a child, a summer dress, floral, lined with yellows and pinks, and lace sleeves made of flowers that reached the middle of your forearm. It was floor-length, so you slipped on ballet flats, just as Sam knocked on the huge wooden doors that made the entrance to your room. “Your Highness? Your brother has arrived and is just outside the castle gates.”

You sprinted into action, quickly shaking your damp hair out so it could naturally finish drying, you would probably ask one of the maids to braid it for you later, but you had higher priorities at the moment. You rushed out the door, catching Sam in surprise. He chuckled as he followed you, racing towards the front doors of the palace. He didn’t bother with any snide comment, knowing how badly you wanted to see your brother.

You arrived just as they opened the doors, Steve’s now huge form illuminated in the noon light. “Stevie!” You cried out, already barreling towards him.

His eyes lifted away from your parents, who were standing there to greet him, and landed on you, his grin lighting up his face as he rushed forward towards you, dropping the shield in his hands. “Y/n/n!” You were quick to jump into his arms, both of you smothering each other with a hug, desperate to make sure the other sibling was really there in their arms.

You pressed loving sisterly kisses in his hair as you hugged him tightly, tears already welling up in your eyes. “Oh Stevie, I missed you so much, I was so worried, I was afraid they would take you or you would be killed,” you kept babbling on, eager to keep him close. He laughed, and your heart lurched, finally settling that yes, of course, your brother is right here in front of you, safe and sound.

Steve grinned up at you before placing you back down on the floor, “I’ve missed you too, Y/n/n, so much.” He pulled away for only a minute, quick to hug and kiss your parents, the heartfelt reunion making your heart grow. He turned back to you as you wiped your eyes, trying not to cry any more than you’ve already had. He offered you his hand, “How about we catch up as we take a stroll through the gardens Y/n, I’ve a lot of catching up to do.”

You grinned, eagerly taking his hand, and then lacing your arm in his, “Of course brother, let’s.” You didn’t hesitate to start walking towards the gardens, not caring that he was dirty and sweaty from riding on horseback here. All you cared was that he was alive, and that he was finally back home.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Steve finally home, will you be able to cope with all the new changes in the brother you once knew?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres the chapter warnings:  
Angst, tension, arranged marriage, small symptoms of PTSD, mentions of violence

Steve and you walked briskly to the gardens, arms linked as he took in your surroundings, before his eyes landed on you. “You’ve grown Y/n/n, you’re a young woman now instead of the baby sister I left behind,” his soft blue eyes kept glancing around, and you could feel the nervous energy radiating off of him. Gently rubbing his arm, you smiled up at him, trying to give him an anchor back to reality, as it was clear his mind was elsewhere.

“Me? Grown? Stevie, you looked like you’ve taken steroids,” you teased, pulling him back to reality as he chuckled. It was true, the skinny young man that had begged to go to the front lines, barley looked anything like the broad-chested, tall, muscular man your brother had become. “I’m glad you can finally hold on your own, and I’m glad your home Stevie, the years felt abnormally long with you not here to make them fun and to annoy me,” you said truthfully, you kept cooing his nickname, elated you could say it again after years of not being able to.

He chuckled, teasingly pulling you closer to ruffle your hair, making sure to keep you close as you strolled through the gardens. “That’s my job Y/N. Make your life fun and annoy you.” He might be a nuisance at times, but he was your brother, your friend, your family. The two of you continued to walk in the garden, merely joyful in each other’s presence.

You eventually sat down beside Steve on a marble bench surrounded by rose bushes. A comfortable silence between you two as you had been talking back and forth for hours. Gathering your courage, you worried your bottom lip, deciding it was time to bring up the one topic the two of you hadn’t talked about in years. Bucky. “Steve?”

He looked towards you at the sound of his name. “Yes, y/n?”

“What happened to Bucky? After the war? Why has he forgotten me?” You took a deep breath to ready yourself for the impending doom around the corner, fully preparing yourself for your brother closing himself off or changing the topic entirely. You were not prepared for your brother’s next words.

“He hasn’t forgotten you Y/n, he has forgotten himself.” Steve’s voice was faint, and you could feel the distress in his voice. You chanced a glance towards him, and instantly regretted it. His shoulders were bowed down, his hands covered his face, eyes looking anywhere but you.

“What do you mean Steve?” He didn’t respond, seemingly lost in his head. “Brother?” You called out tentatively, gently placing your hand on his shoulder, making him jump at the sudden touch. You retracted your hand quickly, looking away from his sad wide eyes.

He sighed softly, “Sorry… I still get a bit restless…” His response pulled your attention back to him, you softened at his expression.

“Stevie, you just came back from war, it’s okay not to be okay. I’m here for you, however, you need me, big brother,” you said sincerely, gently holding his outstretched hands. “Whether you want me beside you or not, a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or a distraction from the world, I’m here.” His tension seemed to lessen, and you were glad he knew you were there for him.

He bit his lip, hesitating before he spoke up, “Thank you, Y/n. I’m sorry for the reaction, going to take some time for me to get used to all this again…” He faltered slightly, gesturing to the castle before he continued. “Bucky… He’s changed. He is not the same boy that left us behind y/n/n. He was kidnapped, tortured, lost his arm, rushed onto a throne we both knew he never really wanted, he is… learning how to be himself again, how to be human again. It shall take some time before he is ready to come back here and open up again to you, we just need patience.” You took in his words, still worried but a bit more relieved now that it seemed Bucky trusted Steve, at least you hoped he did.

“As I said brother, I’m here, for both of you. I’ll do my best to ignore the rumors and wait for him to tell me. However, if you two are still close, please tell him, tell him I will be here for him. I’m patient, but I won’t be a fool waiting here for something that will never happen. I have a duty to you, to this kingdom, but also to myself” Steve nodded at your response, promising he would.

\-----

Days went by faster than expected after your brother arrived back home. He made quick friends with Sam, as Sam always had to be near you as your personal guard, and Steve always tried to catch up with you. You soon met Scott Lang, Steve’s personal guard, though you teased that it felt like Steve was Scott’s guard because of their height difference. All in all, you four had spent many days joking and hanging out. Life started to seem normal again, though a small voice in the back of your head told you something was coming on the horizon.

Your parents decided that after Steve’s following birthday, he would ascend the throne, both of your parents would step down and live out their lives happily retired. Although Steve was nervous, you could see how badly he wanted to prove himself worthy of the crown. As the months passed, and preparations for the birthday ball as well as the coronation were in full swing, you kept your promise, always being at Steve’s side.

Now, merely two weeks away from the coronation, you sat by the pool beside Natasha. Both of you wore sheer summer dresses, as the Southern Kingdom grew hotter in the peak of summer, feet lounged in the pool, reading a book as you sipped your tea. Sam soon walked briskly towards the two of you, he bowed his head, knowing he was being watched by other guards. “Your highness, Lady Natasha, there are carriages outside the gates being let in.” The two of you looked up from your respective books towards him, no doubt confusion as to why it would concern you who was here. With so many foreign royals and representatives coming and going due to Steve’s upcoming coronation, you merely received a list as to those expected to arrive. Sam’s eyes locked onto yours, apprehensive as he answered your unspoken question. “It’s from the Northern Kingdom. King James Buchanan Barnes has arrived and will be staying until after the coronation.” Your breathing hitched, eyes wide in pure panic.

Standing quickly, you gathered yourself, thanking Sam before you rushed towards the front doors, not even aware you were still shoeless. It had been months since Steve had come home, yet you felt a strange feeling of Deja vu as the doors opened. Your parents and Steve already standing there, you took your costmary place beside your brother, taking a deep breath. No matter how much Steve might have told you that Bucky had changed, nothing could have prepared you for the sight before you.

Bucky was wearing leather pants, a black overcoat, the buckles of the vest underneath barley visible, with gold accents adorning him, and knee-high leather boots. The golden ring on his hand that symbolized his status caught the light, as well as a peak of the black and gold lining of his metal hand, which was perched on the hilt of his sheathed sword at his hip. His golden crown was simple, and his outfit, while clearly expensive and royal, was much simpler than the things most kings would wear. His hair was long, the warm blue eyes you loved were gone, now they were cold, calculated as they swept across the room. He looked virtually nothing like the smiling dorky young prince that used to braid your hair while you made up stories together while Steve was away, he even had a scruffy beard. In the place of the boy you knew was an entirely new being, a beast. His chin up, shoulder back, he looked every image of the man you heard about. The cold, deadly, merciless Winter Soldier. You gulped back a gasp, biting your lip as you decidedly tried to keep your promise to Steve. _“I’ll do my best to ignore the rumors.”_

Your parents and Steve greeted him, but you were frozen, eyes stuck on his now cold eyes. A flicker of warmth passed through them as he finally took note of you, before it was gone. _Maybe you imagined it?_You were barefoot still, the edge of your dress, which was far from a proper attire, wet from the pool. Coming to your senses, you dipped into a curtsy, “King James,” you said curtly, eyes bowing before standing again, unsure if you should continually stare at him. He replied with a blunt nod.

Your mother, ever the diplomat, was quick to invite the king to dinner, which would be served in a couple hours, as she beckoned for a servant to lead him to the guest chambers. Steve waved off the servant, “I certainly can do it mother; besides, the King and I need to speak.” Leaving no room for argument, he and Bucky were gone, leaving you standing there on the foyer, unsure of what to do. It would do no good running after him like you were still a child, though a voice in your head, nay your heart, was yearning to reach out for him. Ignoring it for now, you retired to your chambers, deciding to relax before what was more than likely going to be a tense dinner.

\-----

_Well, _you thought to yourself, _you were right. It is a tense dinner._Silence except for the cutlery slicing through food, or the occasional sip of wine. _Good gods if it stays this quiet I’m going to hang myself. _To your surprise, it was your father who spoke first, addressing the smaller table usually set for family. “Y/N, your mother and I have been talking, as well with as King James.” That most definitely caught your attention. You were seated beside your brother, to the right of your father, with both kings on the heads of the table. It felt weird seeing Bucky sitting there, he always preferred the spot beside your mother after all, the seat he currently occupied was only meant for guest kings, which he now was.

Taking a sip of your red wine, you glanced up at your father, “What about, Father?” you prompted, seeing his hesitation. That’s when you realized that everyone at the table was varying levels of anxious. Your brother was gently prodding the meat on his plate with his fork, your mother doing the same with her knife, your father and Bucky both fiddling with the rings that marked their power, printed with their respective crests.

“We believe,” your mother began, “now that the war is over, and you are of age, the marriage between you and King James should resume. Specifically, as stated within his own customs, that you will be married at the end of the year, on the Winter Solstice.”

Your heart skipped a beat, mind reeling at the notion. You were always meant to marry him, you’ve known that since you were both too young to understand much of anything. And yet, this withdrawn man sitting at the edge of the table was a far cry from the charming prince you once knew. Swallowing your sip of wine, you contemplated your thoughts. It’s not like you could say no, even so, you knew it was your duty as Princess to do what was right for your people; currently the “right thing” was to form a true alliance, one of marriage and not friendship, between your two kingdoms.

Finally, you spoke, feeling everyone, including the nearby maids, had their eyes on you. “Of course, mother, I have been promised to King James practically since birth. It is my duty to my country and to the crown to do as such.” Each word was carefully chosen, not wanting the fear or nervousness in your heart to creep into your speech. “Though most fiancés would greet each other, after years of not even writing, with more than a nod.” You spat out almost bitterly, letting your heart get the better of you. Years away from him and he couldn’t spare more than a glance, not a letter, absolutely nothing. He spoke to your parents about the engagement before he even spoke a word to you. You felt used, like some pawn in their royal game.

You could practically feel the sigh your brother gave in response. “Told you she noticed,” He muttered. Your father clasped his hands together, quick to regain control over the tension building from your words.

“Then this calls for a celebration, and preparations! Wedding preparations, as well as how quickly your belongings can be moved to the Northern Kingdom.” Your father quickly had a servant on the task. “King James is staying here until after Steve’s coronation, then both you and King James will make your way to the Northern Kingdom. Any other preparations, such as kingdom announcements and other arrangements shall be taken care of by your Lady in Waiting.” You sighed softly, eyes cast down in front of you to your plate. _You never really had a choice in anything did you?_


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Bucky open up? Or will you be forced to bear through a marriage with someone who acted like a stranger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings:
> 
> Soft!Bucky, slight angst at the beginning, fluff!!, we got some progress y’all!

As dinner progressed, you stayed silent, observing your parents and Steve, but more importantly, observing Bucky. _Well more like staring. _You couldn’t quite help yourself. He was by no means the same looking man as who he used to be, but he certainly was handsome, with a dark edge to his very soul. Was he as dangerous as they said he was? The same Bucky that would go on picnics with you and Steve and talk for hours about his latest science lesson was supposedly the same quiet man in front of you that looked like he could kill the entire room without breaking a sweat? What had they done to him to truly and utterly break him?

You averted your gaze, holding back the sniffles that would alert anyone that you were near to tears as you stood, announcing you were retiring for the evening. You rushed to the door, not looking back, and once your parents could no longer see you, you sprinted to your chambers, barely closing the doors before tears started to blur your vision. _Why am I so emotional over this? _All the rush of emotions, confused at the change, trying to understand, the frustration of the entire situation, the feelings you had for him (both positive and negative). It was all suddenly too much. You fell onto your bed, not bothering with changing out of your clothes as you cried, frustrated at how easily you were breaking.

A knock on the door made you jump, quickly trying to wipe your tears away. “Y/N,” A gruff voice said almost gently on the other side of the wooden doors. Your heart practically stopped, it had to be Bucky. You knew every other voice that would forgo tradition and formality of titles to just use your name, and this voice didn’t match any of them. His voice was different, deeper, but much more pleasant. “May I come in?” He sounded anxious, but you thought that just might be some trick or the fact he was on the other side of the thick doors.

Sighing softly, you sat up, wiping your eyes again before calling out, “Come in.” He didn’t waste any time, opening the ornate wooden doors, stepping inside, and promptly closing the doors behind him. He was stiff, standing pressed against the door, as if afraid to step too close. He could clearly see your puffy red eyes from crying, nose pink as you sniffled. You quickly curtsied, eyes averting from his dominating glare. “Yes, your majesty?” you kept your voice low, afraid you would start crying again, or your voice would break.

He hesitated, unsure of what to say or do. He wanted to comfort you, to pull you close like when you were younger and just hold you. But he felt unable to do that, because of fear. Fearful of what he became, fearful of your potential hate, fearful of your words, fearful of himself, fearful of his failures. So, he stayed perfectly still against the door as he spoke. “Y/N, I wanted to make sure you were alright after you left in such a hurry from dinner.” He didn’t mention how he saw you crying as you ran off, nor how he could clearly tell you were still sniffling from your tears.

You sighed softly, nodding, still not meeting his eyes. “I’m fine James, I just… I missed you is all, I was overwhelmed by everything becoming real again.” He felt his heartbreak at your words, but he was stuck, unable to move closer to you as you continued. “I understand that you need time, truly I will try to understand, but we now are to be wed by the end of the year. Please, please, try to let me understand you. Let me understand the man you have become from the boy I knew. I don’t want to marry a stranger, and the man that showed up at my front gate to whisk me away to his castle is a stranger.” That was both of you and Bucky’s fears. His was that you would fear what he has become, and yours that you would be some play toy to a stranger.

He nodded hesitantly, gulping faintly as he took a small step forward towards you. _Baby steps, even literally, was good. _You thought, finally meeting his eyes. The warmth was starting to flicker in them, casting out the coldness you had witnessed earlier. “I cannot promise you that you will like what you find.” You practically laugh at that, he feels his entire chest shift at the sound, with a sudden need to hear it again, to see your smile again. “But I can promise to try.” He looked nearly shyly at you, a small piece of the boy you knew present before he wiped the look away. “Tomorrow, Lady Y/n, how would you like to meet in the garden after breakfast?”

You smile faintly up at him, noticing he was still only a foot off the side of the door, “I would be delighted.” He nods, quickly leaving the room as fast as he had arrived. You smiled faintly to yourself, falling back onto your bed. _Baby steps will have to do for now._

\----

The next day you sat on your bed, Natasha behind you adding braids into your hair. “So, I heard from a little Birdie that a certain King visited you last night,” she starts, making you groan.

“Is it too late to kill Clint?” You tease, knowing Natasha’s affinity for the sharpshooter of the royal guard. She rolled her eyes, ignoring your comment as she continued braiding. You bite your lip, gently tugging on the hem of your sleeveless dress. “I’m meeting him in the gardens soon, that’s why I wanted to dress up Nat.” She finishes off the last braid, placing a small tiara made of crystals, and diamonds onto your head. “I need him to not see me as the girl that was left behind, but the future Queen of the Northern Kingdom, of _his_kingdom. A woman who can rule beside him, and understand him, and lo-“ you cut yourself off before sighing softly. “I just want him to put an effort, as I will, no matter how small.”

Nat gave you a sad smile, “Y/n/n, I used to see the way he looked at you before the war, and I saw how concerned he looked for you as you ran off yesterday from supper. I believe the man you had the biggest crush on is still there. You have been patient in the past, no matter how many “one-time things” with maids he had, no matter how he teased you along with Steve, no matter how long it had been since he wrote or visited, you were patient, confident in him. So be confident now y/n, you needn’t worry about _if_ he will come around, merely _when_he will.” She was holding your hands, making sure you heard her every word.

Smiling warmly up at your friend you replied, “How do you always know what to say Nat?”

She shrugged playfully, “It’s a gift. Now,” she gently tugged you to your feet before dropping your hands. “You should run off to the gardens, before he is found by Steve and whisked away for some bestie talk.” You laughed at that, smiling at your friend. “And tonight, Wanda is finally back at court, meaning you can tell us everything over tea and scones.” Wanda was practically a miracle, which made many people to believe she was a sorcerer, but she was merely gifted in her talents of healing, which is why she was the main healer of the royals, and one of your closest friends.

“Why of course! I’ll see you soon Nat, tell Wanda I say hello!” You quickly walked out the door, heading down the halls to the outside gardens, barley noticing Sam walking a few strides behind you.

The gardens were practically one big maze, one that you had spent your entire childhood running through, so you knew every nook and cranny of it. You were almost surprised to find Bucky at the small pergola you two and Steve had spent countless summers under as children, pointing at the stars. This season was one of your favorites, as the lilac bushes and cherry blossom trees surrounding the pergola were in full bloom. “Lovely view isn’t it My Lord?” Bucky turned, noticing you as you curtsied in greeting. The view in question was of the sea, just beyond the fort that protected the castle. It was always a lovely sight, as you could feel the sea breeze, smell the salt in the air, and could hear the cries of the seabirds as well as the waves crashing into the rocks below you.

He had a hint of a smile on his face as he took in your words. “I would have to agree, though I would say you look far lovelier.” He quickly looked away from you, still not having enough courage to be close to you or look at you for too long when he knew you were watching him.

“Flattery will get you everywhere My Lord,” you teased, now standing beside him.

“That is good to hear My Lady, as I have much to make up for, and plenty of flattery to give.” That cocky little smirk you used to see when you were teens was playing on his face, though you were sure he didn’t even realize he had it on his face as he stared into the ocean. “Y/n?” He asked timidly, looking towards you. “I am truly sorry for never writing. Maybe during the height of the war, it may have been an excuse but afterwards and even for the last few months since the treaty, I have no excuses to give, merely my apologies and feeble excuses.”

You practically scoffed, “My Lord, it was war, besides, you are here now, aren’t you? I had almost thought you would be gone forever.”

He sighed softly, “It practically felt like forever. And Y/n? Stop with such formalities as titles, we are to be wed, and even without that, I had hoped we could still be friends again as we used to be.” You softened at his words, smiling faintly. “We are both very different people then, when this entire game had started, and I want to learn more about this y/n. The woman to be My Queen.” He was entirely serious, and you couldn’t help how stupidly happy you looked at the words _‘My Queen.’_

You pulled yourself together, you were a princess for gods’ sake, so you nodded politely. “I would like that Bucky.” His nickname, that nowadays he only heard from Steve, made him turn to you.

“Then let us start relearning now y/n/n,” he smiled warmly, gaining a bit more courage.

He was still a bit distant as the two of you talked, apprehensive as he spoke, though the cold man you had seen the previous day was nowhere to be seen; a small voice in your head told you he was acting as if he was afraid. That would be ridiculous, right? You took in his body language, as Natasha had taught you how to read people and how to use it to your own advantage, though in this case you were merely curious as to the reasons for his behavior.

There was no doubt in your mind that what had happened to him was haunting him, but you noticed the different personalities he was and who he had been adapting to one another. Around other royals he was dominating, commanding the room with simple looks. With Steve he was warmer, more like brother than when this had all started. And with you it was the weirdest thing. He was reserved, refusing to talk about what had happened, opting to let you speak or only tell you happier stories from the war, mostly about Steve being an idiot behind enemy lines, something you didn’t doubt for a second. He would tell you about “His Howlies,” the Howling Commandoes. With every story he had divulged, you felt that small twinge in your heart grow. Every soft smile, almost nervous to show too much emotion, and making sure to keep enough distance between you. You in exchange told him about every new friend, about new alliances, new books, new favorites, stories of Nat, Sam, Wanda even. A mutual understanding between the two of you that what was currently going on could quite easily slip back into the peaceful and fun friendship it once was.

Now, as another week went by, you found yourself on the castle rooftop, sitting beside Bucky as you gazed towards the stars late at night. While he was starting to open up more, he still wouldn’t touch you in any way. You figured it might be a more extreme version of Steve’s pulling away to your touch. That it still frightened him. Though at the least, Bucky had been starting to give you more smiles. Though they were small, fleeting ones, they were at least present, and he tended to stand closer to you again.

“What do you think aliens look like?” You asked, currently searching the stars for your favorite constellations.

“I really want to say aliens look like little green men.” He joked, looking towards you as you giggled at his response. His entire body lit up, his heart on a mission to make you continue laughing. “But perhaps aliens are here among us, hiding in plain sight.” That earned him another giggle, making his heart soar. Here was this girl he had care for since he was a child, and yet he couldn’t push past the mental hurdle in his brain to even hold her hand, and yet, she waited.

“Maybe they are in the sea, in the form of mermaids.” She smiled over at him, blushing and looking away as she realized he was already smiling faintly towards her.

“You believe in mermaids still? Really y/n/n? Thought you were too old to believe in fairytales.” He poked your side playfully, making you grin at him. _Baby steps now included small touches, you were getting somewhere._

“Yes, I do! We have yet to truly explore the deep sea, what’s to say mermaids don’t exist somewhere far below to surface? Besides, I love fairytales!” He chuckled faintly, making your own heart soar at the sound.

“Why is you head always in the clouds y/n?”

“What’s that’s supposed to mean?” You asked in mock anger.

“Mermaids now, when we were younger it used to be dragons.” He teased, smiling as he looked back towards the stars.

“Well, my kingdom’s sacred animal is a real animal based off of one from our mythologies, what’s to say that dragons did exist once, and we hunted them to extinction, keeping them only in legends?” Your kingdom’s sacred animal was the eagle, and your seal had a proud eagle and a fiery phoenix within it.

“Logic, for one, and secondly, we would have noticed evidence left by dragons by now y/n/n.” He smiled fondly towards you, but you were now smiling towards the stars.

“Easy for you to say Buck, your animal and seal is a wolf. Both real and included in your mythologies.”

He nodded, conceding the point, “That is true. However, as riveting as this discussion is, it reminds me. I know we used to speak about our respective customs when we were younger, making jokes about parts of them, but there is one custom I would like to still do, with your permission of course.” That caught your attention, noticing the faint tone shift towards a serious discussion.

“Which custom Bucky, we both have many.” You reminded lightly, still looking towards the stars.

He took a deep breath, “When a royal is coronated, it is custom for their predecessor to give them a wolf cub. As a new responsibility, as well as a ‘you got this, here’s a sacred animal, go be in charge’ sorta thing. I, with your permission, wanted to gift you a wolf cub as the Kings before me gifted their Queens.” You couldn’t help the smile that creeped onto your face, you knew he used to hate all the customs and rules he had, but now they were a way to tie the two of you together, and give you a direct tie to him, and his kingdom.

“I would be honored to uphold that tradition Bucky,” you smiled at him, now curious you continued. “Steve mentioned you had a wolf, if your predecessor gifts it to you, who gave you yours? Tell me everything!” you practically gushed, now excited to hear about this baby wolf.

He, for the first time since he arrived, gave you a full real smile, “Aurora, that’s her name. Steve and I found her abandoned in the woods on our way back home and we thought it would be perfect. Steve named her, said a name like ‘new beginnings’ would fit the newest white wolf.” He said it as if it was some inside joke, making you tilt your head questioningly, he caught on. “My code name of the field was White Wolf. One of the Howlies coined that one. Steve found it absolutely perfect, as here was a literal white wolf found in the woods. Shuri nicknamed her you know.” You nodded, knowing the princess had an affinity to nicknaming people and animals. “Aura. It means wind. Said she ran as fast of the wind. I found it cheesy, but it stuck.” He shrugged before turning towards you. “I even have the perfect name for the wolf I will give you.”

You lit up, “Well tell me Bucky!” you said quickly, grinning happily towards him.

“No can do, doll. It’s a surprise.” He beamed, your cheeks turning red at the pet name you hadn’t heard in years. Surprise, surprise, you still loved hearing it. “Well, its late, I ought to get you to your chambers, otherwise what sorta king am I?” He teased faintly, standing and offering his right hand towards you to help you up.

You gaped at him, he was _offering _touch? You quickly got over yourself, taking his hand and standing. You noticed he was still holding your hand, as gently as possible, but still present as you walked. He led you back towards your chambers as both of you laughed softly, exchanging jokes. He smiled warmly as he let go of your hand, and you found yourself missing his warmth almost instantly. “I had a wonderful time again tonight, doll.”

“As did I Bucky, thank you.” You smiled brightly, overjoyed at the small progress you were making to becoming close again.

“I will see you tomorrow, My Queen,” he took you hand once more, gently kissing your knuckles before letting your hand go. You knew he could see how badly you were blushing, but you still hoped he wouldn’t notice.

“I do hope so, My King,” you smiled back, before heading inside, the guards posted outside closing it behind you. You couldn’t wipe the huge smile on your face. Lingering touches, the small kisses, the pet name coming back, the jokes and the charming smile. He might be different, and still needed time, and to take things at his own pace, but he was still Bucky. Your inherently kind and affectionate Bucky. Though you suppose it would be a little while longer before he got comfortable truly holding your hand or doing so when more than one guard happened to be present, yet still. Something was better than nothing. _Baby steps _was better than standing still.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Getting closer to Bucky would be a give and take relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Soft!Bucky, sickening fluff, a bit of language, Insecure!Bucky, nightmares

Another week passed by, and you were getting closer again with Bucky. You could tell he was still a bit apprehensive, knowing him, he was probably trying to keep the horrors of the War away from you. Yet, as promised, you waited, having patience with him. Gentle touches that lingered, random small talk, faint smiles shot across tables at meals, the progress was there. It was hard to find times to yourselves, as the entire castle was in a frenzy for Steve’s coronation.

Today was the day, and you couldn’t be prouder of Steve, seeing how hard he was working to make sure the shift between royals went as smoothly as possible. _And now I’m just uncomfortable_. You groaned softly, Natasha behind you, pulling the strings on your corset tighter. “Can I at least breath Nat? Damn.” You mumbled, the corset already constricting airflow to your lungs.

“You know how traditional the kingdom likes its coronations to be, dresses and corsets included.” Wanda replied for Natasha, both already dressed in proper Lady in Waiting dresses, although Wanda was not technically not your lady in waiting but a healer, but semantics. “Besides y/n/n, you look amazing.” Both have already finished your make-up and hair, and now Natasha was tugging the strings of your dress together.

You chanced a glance at the full-length mirror, biting your lip as you saw yourself, it was a far cry from the loose sundresses you adored to wear. The sleeves were off shoulder, and the corset pushed your breasts up higher. Black and gold adorned the dress, golden rings with the family crest on your fingers, and phoenix gold earrings that lightly touched the edge of your shoulders. Your hair was out, the only thing in your hair was the small crown of gold and jewels on top of your head. There wouldn’t be a doubt that you were someone with power and wealth.

Nat’s head poked up from behind your shoulder, “My, my, I wonder how long into the coronation until the Northern King is practically begging for your attention,” she teased, making you blush faintly.

“Nat, it’s Steve’s coronation, and as princess, I’ll be standing besides my parents, so no messing around. The entire kingdom will be watching,” You reminded lightly, nervously excited, despite knowing the eyes wouldn’t be specifically on you till later in the night. “And later during the ball, Steve will be announcing the Engagement to the people, and in a week, I’ll be following him to the Northern Kingdom.” To say you were nervous about the whole affair was an understatement. Announce an engagement, move with Bucky back to a kingdom you barley knew, and start acting not only as a diplomatic princess and representative to the Southern Kingdom, but as the fiancé to the king of a sovereign nation. It was a lot to take in.

“You’ll be perfectly fine y/n/n, and you look lovely,” A new voice joined in, making you spin to face it. You lit up, attacking Steve in a hug, careful not to mess up his uniform.

“And you look amazing!” Steve chuckled, gently putting you down. You could already tell he was nervous, after all, the entire kingdom’s attention (not to mention the world’s attention) was on him. “You will do splendidly, and you’ll be a great king, Stevie.” You gently held his hands, smiling up at him.

He was smiling nervously, “I don’t know y/n/n, it’s all a bit much, I’m not sure I can handle it.” He was entirely serious, his hands already faintly shaking.

“Absolute and utter nonsense, Stevie. You a good, kind man, one hell of a leader, and the most beloved blondie I know. You’ll do amazing, and the kingdom will love you, they already do.” You gently squeezed his hands, letting one go to fix his hair. “Bucky and I are here for another week, and even in the North, I’m a letter or call away. You’ll have support and love, Stevie, you will do amazing things, and I cannot wait to watch.” He smiled faintly at your words, nodding.

“Geez you became so diplomatic in the years I’ve been gone,” he teased.

“And you finally hit that growth spurt,” you replied back instantly. “Oh, and Stevie? That Lady of the Court you have been ogling since you got back? Her name is Peggy Carter, you should gain some courage and actually talk to her, so I don’t have to hear all the gossip from the maids and from her.”

He went red, not realizing his crush had been caught. “I haven’t been ogling… much.” He mumbled. “Wait, you know her y/n/n?”

“She joined court a year into the war, you were too busy trying to ship yourself off you never realized she was there. She’s single too.” You poked his cheek affectionately, “Now go talk to her before the new crown scares her off.” He blinked, chuckling as he realized you were clearly trying to set him up with her.

“Alright, alright, but hurry up y/n/n, Buck’s going to want to see this.” He teased, noticing your blush as he spoke. He quickly walked out the door, off to find his place before the coronation.

Glancing at the clock you groaned, “Come on girls, we are going to end up being late soon.” You gladly took one of each of Nat’s and Wanda’s hands in your own, Nat to your right and Wanda to your left, as you quickly made your way to the throne room. Cameras were already set up, and the few presses allowed in were making comments into small mics, as they would not be allowed to speak once the ceremony started.

Dropping hands, the girls managed to steer your way from the press, leading you to your place beside your parents who were sitting on their respective thrones. Both girls went to their respective spots behind you to the side, close but away. Your eyes ran through the crowd, noting the royals. King T’Challa, Princess Shuri, King Thor, Prince Loki, among a few representatives and warriors your mind provided you with the names for. Hiding off to a corner were the Howling Commandoes, dressed up in their military colors of their respective nations. You smiled, noticing Bucky, despite having the higher birth and the ability to sit near the other royals, opted to stand beside “his Howlies.”

He was already looking at you, smiling faintly as one of the Howlies, Jim Morita you believed, leaned over and said something in his ear. You subtly nodded towards him in acknowledgment, unable to do more than that under the glares of the cameras.

Then the coronation started. As beautiful and patriotic as it was, your eyes kept wandering away from Steve and onto Bucky. Similarly, he also couldn’t tear his eyes away from you. The crowd applauded, prompting you to turn back towards the throne, Steve now sitting on the King’s throne, a golden crown on his head. He locked eyes with you and you gave an encouraging smile. _You’ll be a great king, Stevie._

\-----

Time was moving too fast, you decided. One moment you were in the throne room, the next you were in the banquet hall. As the crown princess, and now technical next in line for the throne since Steve was _on_the throne, and being a woman of age, every eligible bachelor of wealth and power seemed to try for your hand. You turned everyone down, unable to give the reasoning that you were already engaged, simply dancing with whomever asked. You felt eyes on you throughout the evening, already very aware it was Bucky, you finally decided to take a break from dancing. Stepping away from your current dance partner, King Thor of Asgard, with a small curtsy, you rushed as daintily as possible to the bar. Downing the whiskey was easy, momentarily forgetting the princess attitude you were supposed to be currently using. You grabbed a glass of red wine before leisurely heading towards Steve, saving him from the onslaught of women going for the crown instead of the man.

Placing an arm in his you gave your best smile, “Sorry girls, I need to steal the King for a moment,” not waiting for any replies you practically dragged him to the balcony.

He sighed in relief, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Gods, you’re a life saver y/n/n, thought my head was going to be bitten off.”

“But that would just make your new crown all bloody,” Bucky’s voice rang out on the quiet balcony as he joined you, standing on the opposite side of you from Steve, causing you to chuckle at the comment.

You smiled faintly up at the two of them, “Are we doing this whole engagement thing yet? My feet are going to fall off if I have to dance with one more person who isn’t either of you two, and I positively cannot breathe in this stupid thing.” You sipped from the glass, your eyes falling back to the view of the ocean, storms brewing in the distance.

Steve sighed softly, “I _guess_you have been tortured enough sister, and after all, you did save me from those rabid women.”

“Not the worst thing to have attacking you,” you teased, placing the now empty glass on a table. “Now, am I going to have to beg one of you to dance with me or will I have to find Prince Loki? At least he knows how to dance, unlike some of the other royals.” Both men chuckled, Steve was the first to grab your hand, leading you back inside.

Bucky’s right hand was offered towards you, his blue eyes sparkled in mischief the second the three of you were back inside. “May I have this dance, Your Highness?”

A slow song was just starting, making you smile, “I’d love to, My King.” You took his hand, noticing he wasn’t jumping back. He led you to the dance floor, twirling you playfully as you laughed, before pulling you in flush against his chest. You looked up at him, biting you lip faintly as you danced slowly in time with the music, allowing him to lead the two of you. His right hand was laced with your left hand, your right hand perched on his shoulder brushing against the metal of his shoulder, his left hand pressed gently against the small of your back. The cool metal made you realize how hot you had become, and it suddenly hit you that this was the first time he felt comfortable enough to even left his left hand even _touch_you. _Baby steps._You no doubt had some stupid love-sick grin on your face.

“You look wonderful, y/n,” Bucky spoke softly, his head gently pressed the top of your own, careful not to hit your crown. “And I can already imagine your own coronation,” He teased.

“We have a few steps before this crown changes to your Kingdom’s colors,” you teased back, smiling faintly as you leaned into him, his cologne intoxicating. “And you look amazing as well, Bucky.” The two of you kept dancing slowly, pressed against each other, firm enough that no other royal bothered either of you, but light enough that you didn’t feel like you were being suffocated. Even as the song ended, and Steve had everyone’s attention, Bucky kept his hand pressed to your lower back.

“Good evening everyone, I hope you are enjoying the festivities,” Steve held a microphone in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, soon turning his smile towards you. “Tonight, we actually have some big news to share, our lovely Princess Y/n,” you felt multiple eyes shift towards you, prompting Bucky’s hand to gently press harder against you, grounding you. “Has agreed to marry King James of the Northern Lands, ensuring prosperity between both of our Kingdoms, as well as a stronger alliance.” Applause responded to your brother’s words, and you smiled shyly, glad Bucky’s hand was acting as your anchor. “To the newly engaged happy couple,” Steve raised his glass, the rest of the hall following suit, making you blush.

“Come on doll, one more dance, this time officially,” Bucky whispered in your ear. A shiver ran down your spine, his breath fanning against your neck before you looked up towards him.

“Lead the way, My King,” you smiled, letting Bucky take you to the dance floor for another dance, this one a traditional waltz from your kingdom. Bucky’s moves were a bit rough, as it had been years since he had to even attend a ball, let alone one in your kingdom where this specific waltz would play. You laughed faintly, fixing his right hand to press against your own right hand as you two twirled together to the music. “Almost have it, just let loose Bucky,” you teased, making him blush as you lead the two of you through the dance.

\----

You lost your sense of time as the two of you danced, your aching feet and tight corset seemingly caught up with you, making you hiss softly as you turned in a twirl. Bucky noticed instantly, slowing the dance down to a sway. “Ready to call it a night, princess?” he teased the nickname, his right thumb gently rubbing circles on your waist.

You nodded, “I guess I got lost in the dancing, I didn’t even realize how late it had gotten.” It was significantly darker outside, with less people in the ball room. Natasha and Wanda were nowhere to be seen as you looked around the room. “Will you please walk me to my room, Bucky?” you asked softly, looking up at him.

He was already smiling down towards you, grinning as he brought your hands up to his lips, gently kissing your knuckles. “You’ve read my mind, doll.” He kept hold of your hand, happily leading you out the ballroom and towards your chambers. “Tonight’s been amazing y/n/n, I’ve missed your dancing.”

You grinned micheviously, seeing an easy opening for a joke. “And I’ve missed your terrible excuse for waltzing.”

He chuckled, smiling warmly towards you as you made your way through the halls. “Not as bad as Stevie’s dancing.”

You laughed, “He’s absolutely terrible, I have given up on him honestly. You, however, are getting better, just need a bit more practice.” The two of you stopped just outside of your chamber doors, the only guard being replaced by Sam, who walked up behind you.

“Hopefully I will be a better dancing on our wedding night.” He teased softly, making you blush.

“That would be ideal.” You kept your hands locked together, gathering the courage to say what you wanted. “Bucky? Would you like to come inside? It’s not too late, we could drink tea or watch a movie.” You tried not to seem too desperate, wanting to spend a bit more time with him.

He smiled warmly, “I’d love to, doll. How about you get changed into the fluffiest pajamas you can find, find a movie, and get comfortable, while I’ll go get changed in my rooms?”

You lit up, already letting go of his hands, rushing towards your open door. “Well hurry Bucky! You’ve missed some great movies you absolutely need to watch!”

He chuckled, “Alright, I’m going, be back soon, princess.” He turned on his heel, already heading to his own room to change as well.

You grinned, turning back towards your door, Sam smirking, making you roll your eyes. “Nothing’s going to happen Sam, it’s just a movie.”

“I’m not judging either way, Your Highness, have fun.” He smiled playfully.

“I will, and Sam? Will you please fetch a maid to have popcorn and ice cream brought over?” You quickly told him the flavors, grinning.

He nodded, “Of course, Your Highness,” He closed the door behind you.

Rushing to change, you let out a breath in relief as you undid your corset and tossed your shoes into your walk-in closet. A problem for later you or Natasha for torturing you into the corset in the first place. You changed into pajama shorts and a t-shirt, tossing extra fluffy blankets onto your king-sized bed as you turned the tv on, flipping through the movies. Definitely would have to be a Disney or Pixar movie, and you wanted it to be one Bucky hadn’t seen yet.

You were stuck between Coco and Moana as someone knocked on the chamber doors. “Come in!” You called, smiling as Bucky walked in, now in pajamas as well.

He held up the platter of ice cream and popcorn in his hands, that he no doubt stole from the maid on his way here. “You thought of just about everything doll, even my favorite ice cream flavor.” He set the platter down on the bed in front of you, as you were already curled up in a fluffy blanket, as he sat beside you.

“Wanted to be prepared. Now, for the important questions. Should we watch Coco, or Moana? Both are amazing, but I can’t quite decide which we should watch. Oh! And we should fix the blankets to get comfy.”

He chuckled, gently pulling you closer, his leg now pressed against yours. “How about Coco? Stevie said it made him cry. And you look very comfy y/n/n.” he teased, making you blush faintly. _Gods I missed this sweet side of him_.

You selected the movie, “Coco it is, and for the record, you could _always_get comfier.”

He chuckled, “Duly noted, doll.” As the movie progressed, the two of you ate the popcorn and ice cream. You were so caught up in the movie, you didn’t realize how close the two of you were laying besides each other on the bed, nor that Bucky kept glancing towards you.

Without realizing it, you leaned your head on his shoulder, staying like that for a minute before you realized what you did, shooting up. “Oh shit! I’m s-sorry Buck, I didn’t mean to invade your space or anything, I should have asked, or I shou-“ Bucky gently took your hands in his own, making you realize you were speaking with your hands wildly.

“Y/n/n? It’s okay. Seriously, you’re an absolute dream. Your patient and still the kindest, sweetest, loyalist woman I’ve ever met. I don’t have a problem with small touches like that when it comes to you, doll.” He admitted softly, blushing faintly as he wouldn’t meet your eyes. “I just need a bit of time for anything too major between us.”

Your eyes went wide, effectively calmed down. “Oh… I’m sorry for freaking out then, Bucky.” You said softly, looking up towards him, now realizing how close your faces were.

He chuckled faintly, and you could feel his breath against your lips as he spoke, “You don’t have to constantly apologize doll, you’re my fiancé, what is mine is yours, cuddles included.” You could tell he was both teasing you and entirely serious.

You relaxed, going back to leaning gently on his shoulder as he kissed your head, resuming the movie. “That’s good, because I love cuddles.” You deadpanned, making him laugh. The two of you settled back into the bed, his arm around you as if protecting you as you cuddled. As the world dimmed and your brain started to send itself off to sleep, you realized the cold arm wrapped so protectively around you was his metal arm.

\----

You woke with a start, eyes wide as you sat up, looking for the source of the noise that awoke you so suddenly. As your groggy mind started to wake, the night’s activities begun to sink in, you must have fallen asleep next to Bucky, but currently your bed was empty. The clock on the bedside informed you it was a bit past three am. Your hand pressed against the disheveled sheets beside you, it was still warm, so Bucky couldn’t have gone far. That’s when you noticed the balcony door was open, the curtains moving slightly in the night breeze.

Holding the bedsheets around your body tightly, you stood and made your way to the balcony. “Bucky?” You called out softly, seeing his figure hunched over the railing slightly.

He sniffled softly as he turned at the sound of your voice. “Y/n/n? Shit, did I wake you up? Gods, I’m sorry, Doll.” His voice was gravely with sleep. Even in the moonlight you could see his eyes were red and wet, his face flush. He had been crying.

You frowned, already coming closer. “Oh Bucky, what happened, baby?” The pet name slipped off your tongue so naturally you didn’t question it, your only concern being the crying man in front of you.

Suddenly aware of how he must look he quickly turned again, hiding his face from you. “It’s nothing, just a nightmare. Go back to sleep, Doll, I’ll be fine” he said quickly, you realized his voice didn’t sound gravely because of sleep but because of the tears.

Your frowned deepened in concern, coming to stand beside him, “I’m not going anywhere, Bucky. Please, just talk to me, it doesn’t have to be about what you saw.” You spoke softly, wanting him to turn towards you. “I’m here for you Bucky, no matter what, and how ever you need me.” You pulled the sheets off of yourself, gently placing them around his shoulders. He visibly relaxed against the sheets when your fingers grazed his neck.

Deciding to take a chance as he kept quiet, you very slowly reached for his right hand. You knew he was watching you, as he tensed briefly, but didn’t say a word. Running your fingertips across the top of his hand that was gripping the railing, you gently pried his hand from the metal bar. You gingerly laced your fingers into his calloused hand, your thumb already rubbing small circles into his palm, letting yourself be his anchor to the real world. A small sob escaped his lips at the gesture, the walls around his heart were quickly being demolished by you, no matter how hard he tried to keep them up. “I’ll always be here for you Bucky, no matter what those dreams showed you, this is real. Now, here, that’s real.” You reminded softly, still gently rubbing circles into his hand.

He choked on another small sob, “I do not deserve your kindness doll, I’m a monster, I’m weak,” his voice was so soft and broken you almost missed his words. You gently tugged his hand, getting him to slightly turn, you were finally able to see his face again. Silent tears streamed his cheeks, as he kept his sniffles soft, terrified of showing weakness, but unable to stop the flood of emotions he was drowning in.

By now, the frown on your face was starting to hurt, upset at the world for breaking the boy you knew until he thought nothing of himself. Taking your free hand, you gently and very slowly wiped his tears with your thumb, before delicately cupping his cheek with your palm. He leaned into your touch easily, you knew he must be petrified but clearly touch starved. “Oh Bucky, baby boy, you deserve the world.” You spoke with conviction, making sure he heard your every word. “What happened to you and your family was not your fault. What you did as a result of that abuse should not be hold against you. You were only bringing those men to justice, and you were protecting what family you had left. You, James Buchanan Barnes, are the softest yet strongest man I have ever known. You deserve kindness and so much more. You deserve love.”

He looked seconds from more tears, he knew he must have looked like an absolute mess. His brain was foggy, the terrors from the night slipping away, and he was drunk on the woman in front of him’s very touch. He leaned into your hand that rested against his cheek, savoring the small touch before you inevitable rushed away from him in disgust once you saw the truth. “I’m scared y/n/n,” he closed his eyes, not wanting to see you turn away from him. “That once I show you exactly what I’ve done, you’ll leave me too. I cannot lose you too y/n/n.” He practically whispered, and you noticed his hand was shaking, nervous of your reaction.

“Bucky, I’m not going anywhere,” the hand at his face gently wiped the new tears forming. You took a deep breath, gathering up the courage for your words, knowing he needed to hear them. “I have loved you since we were children, before I even knew what love meant, before I learned of responsibilities, before I learnt of the cruelty of the world. I will stay beside you no matter what has happened, no matter what you have done, and no matter what will happen. As your friend, your confidant, your wife, and your Queen; as simply yours. You have owned my heart since the day we met as children, laughing as we ran circles around Stevie in the ballroom, and hiding from the maids in the gardens. I knew even then I would do anything to be in your life, no matter the cost. I still would. You might be different but you’re still _you,_Bucky.” His eyes were now locked onto yours in pure awe and adoration. You had meant every word, and even though you were engaged to the man in front of you, a small part of your heart fell, panic-stricken that he did not return your afflictions.

He turned away from the railing his metal hand now resting at your waist. Ever so carefully, he used it to pull you closer to him. You could feel the warmth radiating off of him, his eyes taking in every detail of your eyes, as if memorizing your very soul. Your faces were mere inches from each other, and now you could feel his warm breath against your lips, mirroring the position you were in earlier that night. Though now he knew every wall he had built up to protect you from himself was cracked and breaking, a few already demolished entirely. To him, you were the missing key in his life.

You couldn’t say quite who initiated it first, as both of your minds were lost trying to take in every feature of the other, but as the two of you kissed, you couldn’t find it in you to care who started it. Your day dreams of kissing him were completely shattered by the reality of it. His lips were as soft as velvet, and while salty from his tears, the intimacy of the kiss was making you melt. Bucky Barnes was a perfect kisser. He was warm, and soft, yet he was also hard, and protective, his metal arm now wrapped around your body as his lips devoured yours.

His kisses were fiery with desperation, as if this would be the last time he would be able to kiss you, yet they were gentle and slow, as if taking his time memorizing the taste of you. His tongue lightly traced your bottom lip, and you blissfully opened your lips, allowing him access into your mouth. He deepened the kiss, tenderly holding you as ravaged your lips. You lightly bit and sucked on his bottom lip, a dark growl erupting from deep in Bucky’s throat, sending heat directly to your core.

He broke the kiss first, much to your dismay, both of you practically gasping for air. His pupils were dilated, a small ring of baby blue around pure black sin. His lips were deep pink in the moonlight, kiss swollen, and no doubt yours were as well. “I’m not going anywhere.” You reminded lightly, his grip on your hand and waist tightening faintly in acknowledgement.

“You’re my Northern Star, Doll.” He whispered softly. You smiled warmly, deciding to ask him what he meant in the morning. You successfully tugged him back inside, and he settled into bed beside you, pulling you close to him. Your back was pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around you as your eyes closed. Bucky pressed his face against the top of your head, letting his eyes close as well as he kissed your hair. As the depths of sleep started to tug you back you could have sworn you heard a small voice whisper. “I love you too.”

\----


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will one night affect your growing relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Fluff, some angst, protective!Bucky, sad!Bucky

That morning you woke up peacefully, a warm hand gently rubbing circles onto your back. You opened your eyes with a small groan, you never really liked mornings, but today felt entirely different. You were warm and felt an overall sense that you were protected and safe. You smiled lazily as you realized you were tangled in Bucky’s arms. The man in question kissed your temple softly, “Good morning, doll,” he whispered huskily, sleep still laced into his voice.

Looking up towards him, you shifted closer to him, determined to soak in his affections. “Good morning, Bucky,” you kissed his jaw, still a bit sluggish from sleep. His responding lazy grin hit you with warmth and affection. Merely a week ago you couldn’t imagine him being comfortable enough to even let you kiss his cheek, let alone wake up cuddled close together, but you were not going to question it. You knew recovery wasn’t linear, and sooner or later, he would probably take a slip backwards, but you meant every word you said to him in the middle of the night, you weren’t going anywhere. “Do we have to get up? Or can we just call it a lazy day?” you mumbled, letting your eyes close as you pressed yourself against his chest. He chuckled, the vibrations radiating from his chest, sending more warmth through your body, you simply couldn’t get enough of him.

“Yes, we do need to get up. I promised Steve we would officially talk about the alliance before I practically steal you away to my Kingdom.” He gently tried to pry you off of him, so he could get ready.

You groaned softly, “Can’t I be a part of that? Now that you’re both kings, I’d rather be at the forefront of the planning instead of being locked in my room again.” You pulled yourself even tighter to Bucky, latching onto him so he couldn’t leave quite yet.

“What do you mean again, y/n/n?” His voice was laced with concern, no longer moving to leave your arms yet.

“During the war I practically sat here and waited. Any battle plans I made, strategies, troop movements, all of it, was ignored by my father. He said that I was educated to act as a King’s equal, but I wasn’t _his_equal.” Bucky growled softly, before tugging you closer, despite already being pressed against him.

“You’re my equal.” He whispered softly, more so to himself than to you.

“That’s the thing, Bucky. I’m not. In the eyes of culture and history, I will never be equal to you. I’ll always be the queen from a different kingdom, or the naive princess who didn’t know better, or the woman who seduced the king, or merely a woman lost to history. I’ll always be a step down from someone, including you.” You wouldn’t dare look up at him now, you said you mind freely knowing he would never hurt you, you trusted him fully, and yet you knew those words could never be repeated outside this room. Others weren’t as kind as Bucky.

“Y/n?” He said softly against your ear, his head leaned down beside your own. “You are my equal, if not you are better than me, and if I have to rewrite history itself to see to it that you are honored as such, I will. You said it yourself last night, you’re my Queen, and you’re my equal. I’d love for you to be there with us.” He used his right hand to gently tilt your chin up to look at him. He pressed a chaste kiss to your cheek, making you melt. “You are mine and I am yours. From this day until my last day.”

You giggled, unable to help yourself, “Reciting wedding vows already, my Love? Isn’t it a bit early to be saying those words?”

“I’ve wanted to say those words since we were younger, my Queen.” He smiled brightly, and you felt like your insides were probably one big melted puddle inside you. “Often, I’m just not great with words, unlike you, doll.”

You scoffed, “I am utterly terrible at speaking; besides, I don’t need words with you.” You went for another kiss, yearning for another kiss like last night, only for the doors to your room to be opened suddenly, both of you scrambling to sit up. Natasha and Wanda were smirking, the former holding towels, no doubt there to help you get ready for the day.

“Why am I not surprised to see this?” Natasha teased, making your face burn with blush. “Should we get you ready, or would you two lovebirds like more time alone?”

Bucky sighed softly, gently squeezing your hands, drawing your attention to him. “I’ll go, and I’ll see you soon, y/n/n,” he dropped the pet names that came so easy when you were alone, and your heart lurched, wishing he’d keep saying them. He did, however, press a kiss to your head, making you grin up at him as he pulled himself from your arms. _Baby steps_. You reminded yourself. “Don’t be late to our first meeting together, y/n/n,” he teased before leaving.

Natasha and Wanda sighed as they saw you, your eyes staring at where Bucky was moments ago with a love-sick look on your face. “We’ve got work to do,” Wanda muttered.

Natasha nodded, already dropping the fresh towels on the bed and reaching for you. “Yes, we do.”

\----

An hour later you were bathed and dressed, your hair was still damp as Natasha pinned it up and out of your face, a few strands escaping to frame your face. Your floral dress had a plunging v-neck and a slit in the side, making you feel both confident and utterly exposed. You took it in stride, Wanda pressing a small tiara into your hair. It was adorned with pearls and crystals shaped like flowers, the white pearls reflecting perfectly off of the gold bands.

“Go kick their ass, y/n.” Natasha teased as you left, heading down the halls towards the King’s study. You were once not allowed near this wing at all, your father shielding you from this part of the royal life, but with Steve as King, you had the newfound freedom of roaming this wing. Scott was the one who announced you to the room, Bucky and Steve already hunched over a map of the two kingdoms and its surrounding land, two other men on the opposing side of the table.

Both men smiled as they saw you, and you didn’t hesitate to add yourself into the conversation, now standing in between your brother and fiancé. “What part of the negotiations were you two speaking about?” you inquired, sparing a glance towards the maps, before looking up towards the other two men. “Ah, Sir Tony Stark and I assume you are Squire Peter Parker, am I correct?”

The younger man smiled warmly up at you, before quickly and nervously avoiding your gaze. “Yes, Your Highness, I am.”

Tony quickly spoke up, “Peter here will be noting down all the advancements we make in the negotiations, Your Highness.” Tony, you had found, was always a strange one. Head Mechanic of the Royal Fleet, revered (and retired) warrior and Knight, and one of your personal friends, though he felt more like a protective uncle than a friend. He knew to drop formalities with you, and learned quickly to do the same with Steve, but he was most likely still wary of Bucky’s added presence.

“Tony, I assure you, Bucky won’t mind the dropped formalities, right Bucky?” You turned to him, and despite the scowl on his face when he looked at Tony, it quickly melted when he looked towards you.

“Of course, my Love,” he replied, pressing a welcomed, yet frankly possessive, kiss on your head.

“Now, it’s a pleasure to meet you Peter, Tony’s already told me much about you. Please, no need for formalities when it’s just us.” You smiled warmly towards him, hoping he would open up a bit.

Peter lit up, nodding quickly. “Yes! Of course, Your Hig- I mean of course!” he rambled quickly, dropping your gaze again.

“So, anyway, as I was asking, what part of the negotiation were you on? I do hope you two are playing nice.” You teased, poking both King’s arms as you turned your attention to the maps again.

Steve was the one to speak, “We were discussing the new guard movements, as you would have a few of the Southern Knights joining you up North.”

You frowned, turning your attention towards your brother. “I will not be taking Southern Knights with me. I am not going to tear them away from their kingdom, their homes, and their families, all to follow me to some place they’ve never been.” You gave Steve your best disapproving glare.

He quickly raised his hands up in submission, “I know that y/n, but some already volunteered. Anyone married to someone down here was dismissed already, leaving Sam and a few other unmarried guards, not to mention Natasha and Wanda will be joining you.”

You raised an eyebrow, “I thought Sam had a girlfriend? And Wanda has a brother as well.”

“She’s from the North,” Bucky responded, “And Wanda’s brother, Pietro, has been a Northern messenger since the war ended.”

You sighed softly, nodding a bit in defeat, “As long as they all know the consequences for their actions; I don’t want them running from their homes to follow some princess into the unknown.”

“Isn’t that what you’re doing, princess? Following a king into the unknown?” Tony spoke up, making you sigh softly. He was always decently protective of you, as he tended to practically adopt anyone who remotely looked lonely.

“I’m not running away from home, Tony. Sure, I’ll be out of my comfort zone, in a place I’ve only visited before, but Bucky’s my home,” you looked towards Bucky, who currently was looking at you in awe, faint pink dusting his cheeks. “Now, let’s talk about food arrangements and trade, I refuse to move knowing I’ll never have Southern sweets again,” Steve and Bucky both laughed, quick to change the subject and continue with the negotiations.

-

By the end of the week, your chambers were packed, the guards accompanying you were ready, Natasha and Wanda already itching to leave, and your horse, lovingly named Dermot, was also ready to leave. Negotiations on the alliance were finished the previous day, both Bucky and Steve signing with their full names and kingdom seals, and then, after both insisted, was signed by you. What surprised you was the ring they gave you to seal the agreement with. A custom-made royal ring, one both men had worked on making, gifting it to you as you signed.

Currently, you were sitting beside your window, looking towards the early morning sun, your fingers fidgeting with the new ring. You looked down towards it, once again taking in the seal. It was a mix of the Northern and Southern seals, a perfect combination of both of your hearts. A wolf head on one side, a phoenix head on the other, the complicated swirls that symbolized each kingdom joining the two in the middle. It was your past and your future rolled into one, and it would start today, with moving back with Bucky to the Northern Kingdom. He had already prepared you for the temperature change, as the Northern Castle was placed in the mountains.

“You know,” a familiar warm voice pulled you from your thoughts. “I spoke to Stevie, and he had a brilliant idea of building a summer home in the Southern Kingdom near the castle grounds.” Bucky was standing at your door, smiling towards you before hesitantly joining you by the window. “I think it’s a great idea. Close by Stevie, but our own place in the South, just close enough to the Northern Borders so if we need to go back it’s not as long of a trip.” He said softly, noticing your nerves.

You quickly nodded, realizing you weren’t responding. “That actually sounds perfect, Bucky. When we eventually have children, it’ll be a way for them to know both of their homes,” you murmured softly, already leaning on his shoulder.

“Already thinking about children, my Love?” he asked softly, his metal hand already lacing with your right hand, you had already grown to love the coolness his arm provided, a stark difference from the warmth his mere presence provided you with.

“Of course. I know eventually, at the very least, I must provide you with Heirs, so the thought has crossed my mind,” the response felt off, but it was the truth. Historically in your culture, a good queen was one that gave her king plenty of heirs, a fact you always despised.

You could practically feel Bucky frowning, whenever you were alone, his feelings tended to practically radiate off of him. “Y/n/n, I wouldn’t want just Heirs. Of course, that’s an added bonus, but y/n, I won’t make love to you because I want a baby; I want to have a baby because I love you.”

You couldn’t help the smile on your face as your cheek nuzzled closer to his arm. “I love you, Bucky,” you mumbled softly, letting your eyes close.

“I love you more, my Queen,” he kissed your temple softly, “Now, I think you should say goodbye to your parents and Stevie before we leave.”

You sighed softly, “I do suppose you are right.” You could already feel the crushing weight of homesickness start to sink in and you hadn’t even left yet. You wanted this with all your heart, but these palace walls were all you knew. No more garden walks, as the Northern climate could not allow for flowers to grow year-round like the South, no more beach walks, as that was a Southern allowance as well. Your very life was being uprooted, but you took it without complaint, wanting to try to love the North before you even thought of complaining against it.

Your goodbyes to the servants and guards you grew up with was already making your heart weep, and the goodbyes to your parents and Steve had you crying softly. You hung onto Steve tightly, sniffling as you tried to stay strong. “I swear to the gods Stevie, you better text me! Even if it’s those stupid jokes you come up with when you’re sketching. No war to excuse not messaging me in some way,” you were teasing him, but entirely serious as you cupped his face in your hands, showering his head with affectionate kisses. “And please run by any pick-up lines by me, you’re terrible with women and you’ll need all the help you can get.”

He chuckled, quickly giving you one last squeeze before letting you go. “Of course, y/n/n, I swear I will.” You quickly wiped your eyes, holding back more tears and Bucky and Steve hugged goodbye. “Take care of her, Buck, protect her” he whispered, and you just barley caught the words.

“With my life,” Bucky smiled sadly at his best friend, already gently lacing his right hand with your left hand. “Don’t do anything stupid till I get back.” He teased, prompting Steve to laugh.

“How can I? You two are taking all the stupid with you,” he grinned playfully, and both men hugged again.

“Punk,” Bucky mumbled, taking a step back again.

Steve shrugged, still smiling sadly, “Jerk. Seriously though, take care you two. We’ll see you in December for the wedding.” He reminded lightly. Six months. You could do that right? Six months without your parents, without Steve. Six months without the home you grew up in. It might have felt like a cage at times, but it was still home. You waited for years for these two men to come home, so you knew you could wait six months to see Steve and your parents again.

After finishing more goodbyes, and wishes of safe travels, Bucky helped you step into the limo outside, climbing in after you. You sniffled softly, your eyes burning faintly from the tears as you made yourself comfy on the leather seats. Bucky grabbed a tissue, quick to softly wipe the new tears starting to fall down your cheeks. “I’ve got you, let it all out,” he said gently, letting you lean into him as more silent tears escaped.

“I swear I’m perfectly fine, I’m happy to be going with you, I’m ju-just…” you sniffled, trying to make sense of the rush of emotions bubbling up in your chest.

“Scared? Nervous? Of both the new situation and of leaving something familiar?” He responded softly, not a trace of mocking in his voice, just simple support and love. “I know how that feels, y/n/n.”

Your eyes widened as you realized what you were saying. Here you were, already crying about missing home when he had been ripped from his in the past, at least you could call your parents and Steve, while his parents were also ripped away from him. “Oh, gods Bucky, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that.”

He nodded, both of his hands cradling your face, his thumbs gently rubbing your cheeks. “I know that, y/n. I meant that I’m here for you. I’ve been harboring your secrets since we were children, I’ll gladly continue my duties to doing that now.”

You grinned, your tears momentarily forgotten, “That’s good, Bucket, as I still remember plenty of your secrets.”

He groaned at the mention of the childhood nickname, “And here I was hoping you forgot that nickname, of course you wouldn’t. Always stubborn.”

“Me? Stubborn? Bucky, you’ve been stubborn since the day you were born!” He laughed, gently tugging you closer.

“I guess I have been. Even now, I’m too stubborn to tell you the whole truth of what happened.” He said it softly, the tone shifts in his voice sent a cold shiver down your spine, as his hands dropped from your face.

“Bucky, I know enough of what happened, you don’t have to open those wounds just to tell me.” You explained tenderly, your hands now holding onto his hands, noticing how he was hesitant to return the gesture.

“No y/n, you deserve to know the truth, all of it. Though I suppose we can wait until we’ve settled at home before I burden you with those horrors.” He was staring at your hands, his body unable to return the coy touches at the moment, seeing the mental slide back to the man who first arrived at your gates a few weeks ago.

“Oh, my sweet baby boy,” you coed softly, tugging his hands up to kiss his knuckles. “You are not a burden, your past may be heavy, but once you are ready to share it with me, I will be here, fully prepared to help hold up that weight off your shoulders, my Love.” You kept pressing kisses into his hands, knowing he would just flinch away from kisses to his face at the moment. You pressed a soft kiss to each finger, to his palm, to each metal plate in his cybernetic hand, determined to show him without words exactly how much you loved him.

He swallowed back a small sniffle, your eyes looked up at him, noticing the sad smile on his face. “I will once we are home,” he promised, raising your hands to kiss your knuckles, making you giggle.

“Then let us go home, my Love.”

-


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ride to the Northern Kingdom is a little eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> language, reader is a badass, bit of blood, violence, bit of fluff

The ride to the Northern Kingdom was faster than you remembered from your childhood, though you attributed that to the fact it was snowing the last time you were there. Though it was still summer, the Northern climate differed greatly from where you grew up. You knew as the months pressed on you would find yourself buried in blankets, sitting beside the fire, drinking hot cocoa, perhaps snuggled up alongside Bucky. The thought made you smile, your head currently pressed against Bucky’s shoulder, looking out the window towards the passing scenery.  
“Penny for your thoughts, my Love? You’ve been quiet most of the way out of the South, and we are nearing more villages of the North.” Bucky whispered softly, his free hand was rubbing circles against your thigh, as you clung to his other arm.  
You shrugged lazily, not wanting to move too far away from his body heat, “Thinking of the future, mostly how cold I’m going to be once the winter’s storms hit.”   
He chuckled, the vibrations sending warmth throughout your body. “Don’t worry, doll, I’ll keep you nice and toasty, bundled up in the thickest furs and wools I can find.” He kissed the top of your head tenderly. “You should have seen the first winter during the war, Stevie would not shut up, he was convinced he would get hypothermia despite all of the Howlies giving him their furs.” You looked up towards him, leaning towards him to hear more. He was smiling fondly, his eyes looking off in the distance as he reminisced of the few and fleeting joyful moments during the war. His attention, however, was caught by the flags waving in the distance as the limo closed in to the town.  
As you drove through the community, you couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at your lips. It was certainly different from the villages in your kingdom, most of these houses were reinforced for snow and ice, and they had the added feature of chimneys. Flags of the country seal adorned taverns and shop windows as the limo leisurely moved along the street. Wolves were a common theme around the kingdom, as were the kingdom colors, greys, blues, and silvers were the usual colors you saw in most signs.  
“Bucky? I want you to teach me everything about your kingdom, I want to know your people, please,” you murmured softly, enchanted by the circle of dancers, merrily dancing with the people. It was late in the morning, closing in on high noon, one of the times you were aware was a powerful time for healers, who believed in the connections between the heavens and the humans below.  
Bucky was ginning like an idiot beside you, and although you didn’t know it, he was only looking at your awed expression, determined to memorize your features. “Well, let’s start now,” he pointed towards the dancers, “it’s almost high noon, so those healers are dancing to the sun god to pray for healing. The summer solstice is almost upon us, so they are going through a physical and spiritual test as a sacrifice to the gods. The bigger circle are most likely family members and friends, dancing in support and for fun, while the smaller circle are the actual healers.” He pushed a stray hair behind your ear delicately as he spoke. Your breath caught in your throat meekly, you looked over your shoulder towards him, unconsciously looking up at him through your eyelashes as you gave him a bright smile. He felt his heart stutter, blushing as he continued. “We should switch to the horses soon, My Love. It’ll give you the chance to be up close and personal with the people, if you want.” Your responding smile made his entire chest feel fuzzy with a feeling he couldn’t quite place, one that had been happening more frequently around you.  
“I’d love that, Bucky, when can we make the switch? Poor Dermot is probably bored sick being pent-up.” You sat up straighter, excited to go riding again, grateful you decided on denim pants and an elegant blouse for the ride to the North.  
“Dermot?” Bucky’s eyebrows furrowed, sending you into a fit of giggles.  
“Dermot! My horse! His name comes from a hero in my kingdom’s mythology, it means Freedom. Riding was one of the few times I was allowed outside the castle walls, so that horse quickly became my freedom, plus it helps that he has a wild personality. The horse keeper says I’m the only rider he won’t kick off.” His heart sunk at your words, despite your giddy smile. While an apt name indeed, its implications were that you were reduced to be some princess in the castle waiting for the war to end despite the advancements for equality in your kingdom.  
He quickly recovered, determination to show you a newfound freedom building in his heart. “Well, doll, in the North, we can ride whenever your heart desires,” he promised, kissing your temple, not noticing the look of pure wonder you gave him at his words.  
“Can we switch to the horse now? Please? I know we aren’t too far from the palace grounds, and you can show me all your favorite riding spots once we get there, if the sun allows it!” Your excitement was bubbling over, making Bucky laugh in amusement.  
“Of course, my Queen. Whatever your heart desires, it shall be my pleasure to give you.” He vowed, the two of you wearing matching grins. He tapped on the tinted window separating the drivers from the two of you. As the window slipped down, you saw Scott and Sam were in the front, no doubt joking around, evident by the smirk on Sam’s face. “Scott, pull over at the next clearing, the Princess and I will be switching to the horses.”  
“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Scott replied, shooting you a smile through the rearview mirror, Sam already sending someone texts on his security issued phone as the window rolled back up.  
A few minutes later the village clear way to a thick forest, which lead to a meadow clearing. The limo stopped, and Bucky was quick to step out, already offering you his hand before you could speak. You smiled warmly, taking his assistance to your feet. He noticed the way you lit up as Dermot was taken out of the travel stable, running towards your horse, who was already saddled and getting antsy. Sam mildly nudged Bucky’s shoulder, the two having become friendly since Bucky had the tendency to be gravitated towards you while staying in the South, and Sam was your personal guard. “You should hurry up, she’s gonna leave you in the dust,” Sam goaded, sending you a wave which you happily returned before you jumped up into the saddle like a pro.  
Bucky rolled his eyes, not dignifying the man with a response and heading towards his own horse, Nova, who was also saddled. With a small huff, he was in the saddle, smiling shyly towards you. “Shall I lead the way, my Love?”  
You quickly nodded, mocking a bow while taking hold of Dermot’s reigns, “Why of course, my King,” You teased.  
-  
The two of you rode through a few more villages as high noon came and went, taking a few short breaks for the horses’ sake. On one such break, you and Bucky were leaning against a tavern wall, the royal guards doing a decent job of turning unaware citizen to leave you two alone while the horses had water and snacks behind the tavern in a nearby stable. The two of you weren’t talking about much, Bucky was currently telling you of his plans to show you the entire castle grounds.  
“Of course, as Queen you’ll be allowed anywhere in the palace, as it’ll be your home with a little bit of time,” he expressed, sending small smiles towards you. You were about to respond when something out of the corner of your eyeline caught your attention. Always one to trust your instincts, you looked towards the flash. A young woman was cornered, two young men, no doubt only slightly older than her, were tugging at her purse as she cried out. They were pretty well hidden in the small alleyway, but it was broad daylight, and yet they were still robbing her.  
Bucky had noticed your silence, quickly following your eyesight to the scene, anger filling his body. The crime rate of the kingdom had gone down significantly since he began his rule, but it was your first day and you were already witnessing the dark parts of the country. No one was making a move to help the poor girl, another thought that sent more rage through Bucky. Yet, as he was about to take a step towards the three, determined to end the scene, he was stunned to see you already stomping your way across the street to defend the woman. His eyes followed you, momentarily too dumbfounded to follow you.  
As you approached, you could hear the insults the men were using, degrading the woman as she struggled against them for her purse, it only fueled your fury. “Hey!” you seethed, venom dripping from the single word. The men glanced towards you, both a bit shocked to see a woman fuming at them. The woman looked towards her savior, jumping slightly as the men laughed, clearly not taking you seriously.  
“Aw! What are you going to do, little one? You should scram before your father sees you, or worse!” One of the men sneered, their attentions diverting from the woman, who had fallen to the ground.  
“Yeah! We wouldn’t want your daddy to find you curled up on the street like a bitch,” the other man snickered. That is what cleared Bucky’s momentary paralysis, now heading towards you, though he was a moment too slow.  
You growled lowly at the back of your throat and lunged for one of the men, pulling him off the woman before snapping your fist back, straight into his nose. Pain radiated up your knuckles, but it was dulled as the adrenaline started to kick in, making your moves slower. You spun on your heel, your elbow hitting the other man square in the jaw. One swift quick to the crotch and both men were falling to the ground, clutching either their face or their groins. A satisfied smirk on your face, you quickly turned to the woman who looked awestruck up at you. You offered her your unbloodied hand, “Are you hurt?” you quickly asked as you helped her to her feet. She quickly shook her head, still too shocked to speak. “Deep breaths then, it’ll calm the shock down.”  
Someone whistled at the corner of the alleyway behind you, you quickly spun, already placing yourself between the sound and the woman before relaxing. Bucky, Sam, and Scott were standing there, watching you with matching smirks. Sam, who knew of your skill, was incredibly proud, “Damn y/n, we were gone for a few minutes,” you shrugged, a small grin on your face.   
Bucky grinned up towards you, sparing a second glance at the two men still laying on the ground, both had bloody faces. “I’m both incredibly impressed and terribly aroused,” he muttered, locked onto your eyes as you blushed.  
“It was nothing, Nat’s been teaching me. You didn’t think those assassins were taken down by Sam, did you? Nat and I took ‘em down,” you grinned proudly, excitedly showing off, Bucky gave you a childish grin in response, though Sam sent you a playful glare.  
The woman behind you squeaked as she saw Bucky, recognizing him as he stepped closer to you. “Y-your Majesty!” She tried to curtsy but almost tumbled, and you caught her with a small smile. Bucky motioned for Sam and Scott to grab the two men, who gladly grabbed them.  
“Don’t worry about it, are you alright?” He asked, true concern for the unknown woman.   
She quickly nodded, “Thanks to her, Your Majesty!” she averted her eyes from him, trying to show respect as she clung to you for support  
“That would be y/n, my fiancé, and your future Queen,” you shot him a glare, he was teasing the poor woman, who was still recovering from shock. She yelped, trying to pull from your arms to try to curtsy again, mortified she was treating her future queen with such disrespect.  
You gripped onto the woman, determined not to let her fall on her face, “Now, now, no need for all of that. Are you truly alright? What was your name?” You still shot Bucky a disapproving glare at his antics, he just grinned, responding with a playful smirk.  
“Y-yes, Your Highness. My name’s So-Sophia,” She rushed out, still terrified.  
You gently soothed her, brushing the dirt off her dress, “It’s alright Sophia, I’m a princess but I’m still human, no need to go senseless on me. Now, where you going when you were attacked.”  
“The market, Your Highness,” Sophia didn’t drop the title, but she was in shock, so you let it go.  
“Perfect, I’ll send one of the guards to accompany you there then back home, until you’re safe, alright Sophia?” You gently fixed her cloak, still smiling supportively towards her.   
She shook her head, “It’s alright, milady, I’ll be fine. Thank you so much for your generosity, and for saving me.” She looked a bit more stable, the shock most likely dying down.  
“Of course, my job isn’t just to lead the people, it’s to protect them. I am only doing what is right. If that’s all, and you’re sure you would be fine alone again, then I wish you safe travels and a wonderful rest of your day.” You let your hands drop from her sides, done fixing her up.  
Sophia grinned and nodded quickly, “Of course, Your Highness, you as well, gods bless you,” she walked past Bucky, quickly curtsying with a “Your Majesty,” before disappearing into the crowds.  
Bucky whistled again in awe, a cheeky grin on his face, “You’re a natural, and that right hook! Gods you’re perfect,” he said in wonder. You hissed softly, pain radiating from your knuckles now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He quickly came closer, picking up your hand delicately. Your knuckles were bloody, a small cut on them but most of the blood was from the men, and the beginning of a bruise was discoloring the skin. He pressed a soft kiss to your palm, “Let’s get you cleaned up and go home,” he led you back out the alley, holding your hand to his chest protectively.  
“Bucky, my hand is fine, should be more worried about that guy’s face, I hit him with the royal ring without realizing it.” He looked again towards your hand, sure enough, your golden ring was splattered with a bit of blood.   
He chuckled, “Gods you’re absolutely amazing,” he mumbled, kissing your wrist. He glanced towards your left hand, which only had a simple golden ring on your thumb, a gift from Steve when you were younger. Your ring finger was noticeably empty, but he didn’t say a word about it, already tugging you back towards the horses.  
-  
A few short hours later, you arrived at the castle grounds. The sun was setting, lighting up the surrounding mountain tops with beautiful shades of pink and purple. You dismounted Dermot, fixing your blouse after handing the reigns to one of the stable keepers, as it was clear you couldn’t ride with the night falling. Bucky did the same, before offering his hand to you. “We’re home, My Queen,” he kissed your temple as you took his hand, happily following him inside.  
The guards and maids were lined up, quick to bow to you both, though you noticed they were mostly bowing towards you. You blushed, not used to all the attention, as you were usually just someone who might be on the throne, yet here you were someone who was going to be on the throne. “Please see to it that all of Princess Y/n’s personal belongings are in the Queen’s chambers,” Bucky said to one of the maids, who curtsied with a responded “Your Majesty” before rushing off. He then turned to you, “Would you like to do anything tonight, My Love?” You were too busy taking in the castle, it had been years since you had been here, and it was lovelier than you remembered, but it felt so cold. Not in the literal temperature sense, as it was still summer, but the entire castle walls felt void of something. It took you a few minutes before you realized it, Love.  
Turning towards Bucky, you gave him a small smile, “I thought we could get settled in, just relax,” you laced your hands together over your stomach, a habit formed from wearing tight corsets.  
Bucky nodded, “Of course.” He offered you his arm, smiling as you took it, following him, arm in arm. “Would you mind sleeping in my bed tonight, doll? I’m dreadfully sorry, but your chambers aren’t ready yet,” he was blushing, bashful.  
You giggled, tightening your grip on his arm, “I’d love that.” As Bucky led you through the castle towards his chambers, you noticed how the feeling of dread from the foyer seemed to be a running trend. These walls were simply shelter, not a home. You wanted to change that. Caught up in taking in the empty halls, you didn’t notice you were already at the doors to the king’s chamber. It looked similar to your chambers back home, only these chambers style was darker, and much bigger. The size of the room made you felt small, and the fact that there seemed to be minimal decorating made it feel more like a guest room than a permanent residence. The bed was lined with slightly thicker furs than the bed back home. No. you corrected yourself. The bed back in the South. This bed was a navy blue, intricate designs embedded in silver.  
You sat on the edge of the bed, Bucky stepping away from you for a moment as you took in the room. Everything in the room screamed of pure ice, sending a small chill down your spine. Determination started to set in your head, you were most definitely changing the pure feeling of dread these palace walls held. The balcony is what caught your attention next, the view outside the windows was of the valley in between the mountains, a lake in the middle, the setting sun reflecting oranges and pinks into the water.  
“Y/n/n?” Bucky called out, you turned your head, caught up in the view. He was kneeling on one knee in front of you, gently taking your hand and cleaning the blood off your knuckle from earlier. “The view is beautiful isn’t it?”  
“Definitely different than I’m used to, but in a good way. I like it, I’m more of a sunset then sunrise person myself,” you nodded, sending him a small smile.  
He grinned, “I’d thought you would like it. Just wait until you see the stars in a few hours.” He finished cleaning off your hand, tossing the towel towards the wastebasket.  
“I noticed you didn’t change the castle much since we were younger,” you spoke just above a whisper, wanting to address the distantness the entire place felt like, knowing kings tended to renovate and redecorate the castle once they took the throne.  
He lost his smile, sighing softly. “Yeah, it didn’t feel right. I was… a little emotionally distant when I got back.”  
“A little?” you teased, making him smile faintly.   
“Okay, a lot. Bad head space, and bad coping mechanisms.” He shrugged, not meeting your eyes as he bit his lip. “I think I should tell you what happened now. All of it.”  
You gently took his hands in yours, “Like I said earlier, you don’t have to, and if you do, I’ll be right here for you, My Love.” You spoke firmly, making sure he could hear your conviction.  
“Get ready for bed, doll, then I will tell you as much as I can,” he stood, kissing your head lightly before going towards a drawer to change himself. He froze, sighing softly, his hands rubbing his face as he thought aloud, “Your clothes aren’t here yet, are they?”   
You laughed, jumping up to stand beside him. “I can borrow some sleepwear, Bucky, relax.” You grabbed one of his shirts, and his pajama pants, already heading towards the bathroom to change. You quickly changed, and after a second of hesitation, decided to take your bra and under garments off as well. Now, only in panties and Bucky’s oversized shirt, you tried pulling on his pajama pants. You groaned, no matter how tight you pulled the strings, it wouldn’t fit and kept falling. You gave up, folding them and placing them on top of the rest of your clothes. “Hope your decent!” you called out before walking out of the bathroom, tugging the oversized shirt down. It hit your midthigh, but you felt exposed, especially as Bucky, now in pajamas as well, looked you up and down, his eyes going dark as he chuckled.  
“Pants didn’t fit, huh?” You shook your head with a small shrug. You placed the clothes on the desk in the large room before joining Bucky on the bed. He wrapped a blanket around your shoulders, smiling softly as you nuzzled into the furs. “Before I start to tell you, I just want to warn you. It’s not pretty, and I respect you and don’t want to lie to you or sugar coat it. I’m not sure how much either of us can take before I’ll need to stop, but if it becomes too much, please, let me know?” He gave you a sad smile, holding onto your hands tenderly.  
“Bucky, I’m not a child, I can handle it. I promise, but promise yourself the same thing, don’t push yourself to far.” You squeezed his hands lightly, giving him your full support and attention.  
He nodded, sighing softly as his gaze dropped to your interwoven hands, already putting himself into the headspace needed to tell you the truth. “Then let’s begin, all the way at the beginning.”


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tells you everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> mentions of: violence, torture, war, overall nasty stuff, angst, then so much fluff you’ll cry

_He wrapped a blanket around your shoulders, smiling softly as you nuzzled into the furs. “Before I start to tell you, I just want to warn you. It’s not pretty, and I respect you and don’t want to lie to you or sugar coat it. I’m not sure how much either of us can take before I’ll need to stop, but if it becomes too much, please, let me know?” He gave you a sad smile, holding onto your hands tenderly._

_“Bucky, I’m not a child, I can handle it. I promise, but promise yourself the same thing, don’t push yourself to far.” You squeezed his hands lightly, giving him your full support and attention._

_He nodded, sighing softly as his gaze dropped to your interwoven hands, already putting himself into the headspace needed to tell you the truth. “Then let’s begin, all the way at the beginning.”_

-

“As you know,” Bucky started, “The Northern lands share a now small border with the Hydra Kingdom. As Hydra kept growing, they kept pushing that line, sending more and more unannounced envoys into our Kingdom. Those, my father forgave, saying it wasn’t his war to fight. It took two burned down and plundered villages before we alright declared war on them. The South followed suit, and we quickly formed an alliance with the Wakandians and Asgardians, both already engaged in war with Hydra. A few more plundered towns on our border, and father decided to send me, saying it would boost troop morale, or build character or something like that. Months later your idiot brother decided it would be a great idea to jump into a war I didn’t want to fight in to start with, I was forced to go with no complaints as Becca cried, while Steve went to be a hero.” Three years older than Bucky, Lady Rebecca had been married to a commoner from Asgard, abdicating the Throne. Becca was always a great person to be around, and you couldn’t help but hope she was alright, wherever in the world she was currently hiding.

You smiled faintly, letting your fingers trace patterns into his palms. “Years of pointless fighting, Stevie and I back to back or side by side on horseback as we tried to push Hydra back into their own country. We were on an envoy to capture one of their officials, Lord Rumlow, as he is the general of their fleet. He, naturally, would have knowledge of troop plans and the next village targets. To make a long story shorter, it was a trap. We were out gunned, out manned, and they slaughtered my men in front of me, slaughtered my horse New York, and they just kept coming. Stevie and I were cornered, the gates to the outside closing. I pushed him through, just as it closed behind him. I was trapped, and to top it all off, I had no bullets left so I couldn’t even end my life before they could take me. They took me in front of him. Steve had to watch as they dragged me off kicking and fighting with all I got.” He shuddered, a frown etched onto his features. He paused, and you continued to listen carefully, already leaning towards him.

“That’s when the true nightmare begun. They knew who I was, my station, everything. Before they even begun their torture, they knew more about Steve and me than we thought. They tortured troop movements out of me, they didn’t care about many kingdom secrets, only how to easily get into the castles and how to beat the very army I was supposed to be fighting for. They drowned me, starved me, dehydrated me, burned and shocked me until I couldn’t remember my name, only my identification number.” You frowned as he continued. “They cut me, hit me, they did so much simply because it was ‘fun.’ They experimented on my body, saying it should be an honor for me to die in the name of science. They would bleed me out within an inch of my life, toss me in a cold rotting cell naked until I healed just enough for them to continue.” He let go of one of your hands, and you bit back a small whimper, he definitely would not be able to see you right now. He needed support and love, so you reigned in your feelings on the cruelty, watching as he ran a hand through his hair before adhering to your hands again, as you were determined to not let him see anything but love on your face if he looked towards you.

“The day they cut off my arm was the day the feeling in the pit of my stomach grew. I had already given up hope Steve or anyone else would find me. Hell, I couldn’t even remember his name, only his face. They moved me around so often, I didn’t think it was weird when they grabbed me, tossing me into some chair. I had clothes on, for once, but they immediately tied me down. I was clinging to you and Steve and my parents and Becca, my home. Your faces, trying to remember your names, random memories of things you would say floating in my head. I didn’t even comprehend what was happening, my eyes were both too swollen to notice the camera on me, so I didn’t even grasp they had cut my arm until I heard screaming. It took me a while to realize it was my screams. I clung to you and Steve and Becca’s voices, telling me you were with me, but I couldn’t stop screaming or crying. I thought I was going hysterical. Blinding pain.” He took a shaky breath, and you gently wiped the tears that started to fall down his face.

“Take your time, My Love, I’m here,” you kissed his hands again, encouraging him to continue with unsteady breaths.

“It was a few months before Steve found me. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one Hydra had taken and experimented and tortured. Most of the Howling Commandoes were men he rescued from Hydra. It took me a month to heal, and we lost a lot of land in that time. When I was finally healed enough to fight, and started regaining my memories, I didn’t hesitate to locate every Hydra base they had taken me to, so we could destroy them all. They were losing ground on all fronts, that’s why they sent those assassins. Steve got his letters first, since we were closer to your borders, that there was an assassination attempt that was thwarted. I started to worry about my own family. We had just destroyed another base when I received the news my parents were killed.” He took a deep breath.

“All the men around me just bowed, and I had to take a throne I never was meant to have, in the middle of a war I didn’t want to be in and in the middle of my own self-loathing. They took one of the few things I had left, and I snapped. I took Shuri’s gift of an arm simply as a means to end Hydra. I killed any Hydra soldier I got my hands on, I lost all emotion. I became a shell; my only goals were to protect the Howlies and Steve and end this stupid war and end Hydra. I was frightening my own men, to the point where only Steve and the Howlies would trust me or speak to me without fear. Guess I succeeded in ending the war; Hydra retreated and called for a treaty.” He said the last sentence with such bitterness it made your heart crumble.

“I came back to a cold throne. A place that didn’t feel like a home, that didn’t feel earned. After months of self-loathing, destroying the king’s study, and wallowing in my own self-pity, Steve practically forced me to the South. He convinced me to reset up the engagement, and I’m glad he did. Doll, you’re one of the few good things left in my life.” He looked up towards you for the first time since he began his story, pain and sorrow deep in his eyes, sniffling softly.

You gave him an encouraging smile. “May I hug you Bucky?” You wanted to be careful, knowing that he might back off or get standoffish if you tried to do something he was uncomfortable with. He nodded, his bottom lip trembling faintly as he held back tears. That sight is what made you launch at him, pulling his head into your chest gently. “Oh, my sweet baby boy,” you whispered gently, tenderly running your fingers through his hair. You felt his beard itch at your collarbones, but you ignored it, only focusing on comforting him. “You were gone, and it was terrible, but it’s over now, My Love, My Darling, My Heart, you’re safe, and you’re alive.” You rambled sweet nothings into his ear, protectively wrapping your body around him. You could feel tears start to wet your shirt, making you hold onto him tighten as he sobbed into your chest. “I’m here, I’m always here for you,” you continued to whisper. “I’ll always protect you, I’ll love you forever and always.” You gently lay the two of you, Bucky quickly curling up against you.

You fell asleep like that, Bucky pressed against your chest, lulled to sleep by the sound of your heartbeat, and you, soothingly playing with his hair and calming him. The last thing he thought before his world turned black was how he would do absolutely anything to keep you happy and safe.

\----

You woke up first, Bucky still cuddled against you. You smiled faintly, gently running your fingers through his hair, adoring how peaceful he looked in his sleep. You kissed his nose lightheartedly, “Wake up, My Love,” you whispered softly, beaming as his nose crunched up with a groan.

“Five more minutes, y/n/n,” he mumbled gruffly.

You laughed, “Scott mentioned how much work you need to attend to. My King, you’ve been gone a month, you have work to do.” You peppered his face with light kisses, making him smile through a playful groan.

“Don’t wanna leave,” he nuzzled his face into your neck, making you giggle at his childlike antics.

“Bucky, please, before one of the guards or maids runs in,” you teased, still running your hands through his hair.

He groaned again, his breath and beard tickling your neck, setting you into a fit of giggles. “Finnnneeee,” he kissed your neck lightly, sending a warm shiver down your spine. He smirked as he sat up, “You look absolutely lovely in the morning.” You blushed, giving him a pointed look, which he replied with a chuckle, kissing your forehead before getting up to change.

You followed him towards the bathroom, now noticing the new extra toiletries clearly meant for you. He changed quickly as you brushed your teeth, stretching your arms above your head as you fell onto the bed once more, hearing the sink turn on then off again. A now kingly looking Bucky appeared at the doorway to the bathroom, making you smile warmly at him. He came close without a word, pressing tender kisses to your head, smiling at you like you hung the stars in the sky.

An idea formed in your head as you draped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer just as he was about to pull away. “May I have another kiss, My King?” You teased, giving him a mischievous pout.

He chuckled, coming closer to stand in between your legs, “Why of course, My Queen.” He leaned in, and you moved closer, cutting the distance until your lips met. You melted against him, kissing him tenderly, giggling as he nipped at your lip playfully.

You deepened the kiss, running your tongue against his lips, tasting the fresh mint. He bit your bottom lip again, this time sucking softly, sending warmth through your body as a moan escaped your lips. “Bucky…” you murmured breathlessly as you broke away for air. You were already breathing heavily, and he had barley even begun. Gods how were you going to be able to survive love making with this man if his simple kisses sent fire through you and made you dizzy? He seemed just as bothered, smirking, his eyes dark, pupils dilated.

A knock on the chamber door before it opened made him groan, not letting you go quite yet though. Scott stood there, bowing quickly, “I apologize for interrupting, Your Majesty, Your Highness, the nobles demand that the King be at the meeting scheduled to start in a few minutes.”

You chuckled, “Told ya, Bucky. Go, I’ll be roaming the halls if you need me.” He nodded, ignoring Scott’s presence as he pulled you in for another kiss. Desperation laced lips pulled another small moan from your throat, making your face darken in embarrassment. “Go,” you whispered softly as he pressed his forehead against your own. “I’ll explore.”

“Stay safe, My Love,” he kissed your lips once more before following Scott out the door. You fell to the bed, grinning as you touched your lips, still feeling the way he bit your lip.

\----

A few hours later you were doing as you said you would, roaming the halls, Sam beside you. “It feels isolated.” He finally stated, the hallways mostly empty.

You sighed, “I plan on changing that. One step at a time though.” You were completely unfamiliar in this new castle, the passageways were confusing, and you couldn’t remember much of the layout from your childhood to help. A few wrong turns and you found the throne room, noticing how dark and uninviting it looked. You frowned, approaching the throne you would soon sit upon. The entire palace was clean, but it felt superficial, like a concealed darkness was hiding in the wall. _Yep, this definitely has to change._

You walked out the door, roaming the halls again until you found a maid, quickly telling her your plans to liven up the place. She nodded before scurrying off, Sam chuckled behind you. “Oh, I can’t wait to see this go down.”

You rolled your eyes, “He’s going to have to live with it. This entire place deserves some warmth, some love.” Continuing down the castle walls, you managed to find the King’s personal library, making you grin, already forming a plan of attack. You were quick to change how the relatively small room looked, pulling the curtains back to let the sun in, instantly changing the look of the space. You then found a few scented candles, and lit them, just out of reach on a desk but close enough that the scent of lavender and lilies filled the room. The room was smaller than the king’s chambers, but it was filled to the brim with stories waiting to be told. “I know your break is coming soon, Sam, feel free to stand at the door if you don’t want to join me.”

He responded with a shrug, “See you eventually, Y/n, holler if you need anything.” He closed the library doors behind him. You ran your hand across the spines of the books, one catching your eye. It was dark red, with no cover page or title, it simply jumped into the story. You found a few pillows and blankets from an adjacent closet and set up a makeshift window seat, gladly pulling your knees to your chest and using the afternoon light to read the mysterious book.

You skipped lunch, a fact that was evident by your stomach growling a few hours later as you read. You groaned, not daring to move from your comfortable position. You heard rustling in the hallway, before the doors opened, a worried looking Bucky standing at the entrance. You placed the book down, smiling brightly at him, “Why hello, My Love.”

He visibly calmed, making you realize how tense he had looked when he had first walked in. He sat across from you on the windowsill, taking in the small changes you had set up in the room, including the now organized desk in the corner. “I couldn’t find you for an hour, Doll, I should have known you would have found this place by now.”

His right hand lightly rested on your left, and you smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry Buck, I got a bit caught up in the fantasy world.” You noticed his eyes linger on the lit candles, taking in the floral smell. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’m livening up the place, gods know it needs a little love.”

He chuckled, “So I’ve heard. One of the maids said you ordered more flowers to be placed around the castle, which is a great start to give this place some love.”

You smiled warmly at him, “How was the meetings?” You sat up a bit, stretching you back after being hunched over a book for so long.

“Boring, the usual drama,” he joked. “A few interesting prospects though.” He shrugged before glancing out the window, the sun setting just above the mountains. “Would you care to take a walk with me around the castle, My Love? I do believe you asked for a tour, and your chambers are ready.”

You smiled, closing the book and placing it on the seat as you stood. You stretched again as you replied, “I’d love that.” He took notice of your makeshift window seat, already making plans in his head as he offered you his hand. You gladly took it and followed him through the halls.

After showing you the entirety of the Eastern Wing, he led you through parts of the Western Wing, which held both of your chambers, and the library you had found. He smiled mischievously at you as you turned a corner, both of your personal guards staying nearby but not breathing down your throats. He glanced towards them, and looked towards you again, already arm in arm he leaned in closer and whispered in your ear, “Do you trust me?”

“With my life,” you replied, holding his arm tighter. He grinned, before sprinting around a corner with you in tow. After a few bends and passageways, the two of you stopped behind a corner, effectively losing both of your guards. You stifled laughs, covering your mouth as you playfully hit his arm. “Buck! They’re just trying to protect us! Poor Sam doesn’t even know the castle yet!” You whisper yelled.

He chuckled, “That’s the point, they’re overbearing,” he whined, pulling you in closer. “And I want you all to myself.” He used his metal hand which was at the small of your back to gently tug you into a kiss. You giggled against his lips, your arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. He cupped your jaw with his right hand, smiling into your lips as the two of you kissed, finally alone. You carded your fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. The two of you only broke off when you could hear Sam and Scott running past the passageway you two were hiding in.

“You’re a menace, Buck,” you teased, trying to catch your breath, your foreheads pressed together.

Bucky shrugged, smiling playfully, “But I’m your menace, y/n/n,” his lips brushed past yours as he spoke.

“That you are. My Bucky.” You let your eyes close, a blissful smile lighting up your face.

“Come on, doll, I have another place to show you.” He broke away from your arms, still holding tight to your arm as he led the way through a few more secluded halls before he pulled you outside on a large balcony. The balcony was at the top of the castle, the only place with a better view was the King’s Chambers, but this balcony was noticeably different. It had a few flower pots filled with pink heathers as well as beanbag chairs, blankets, and pillows in a makeshift pillow fort that opened up to see the sky. “I heard how much you wanted flowers to liven up the place, so I decided that a makeshift garden could help for now, at least until I can get an indoors greenhouse, that way you can have flowers year-round and not just the cherry blossoms that bloom in winter.”

Your eyes widened, taking it all in but looking towards him bewildered as he mentioned a greenhouse. “A green house? Really Bucky?” You asked, pure hope and joy in your voice.

“Why of course, you only say the word, and anything can be done, so when you said flowers it gave me the idea of the greenhouse. I had been thinking about it already, since I know how much you love the garden back South, and a greenhouse sounds like the perfect idea.” He grinned giddily, completely enjoying the childlike wonder in your expressions. “Besides, I want to spoil my fiancé.” You couldn’t stop smiling, tackling him in a tight hug, much to his utter amusement. “Consider it a courting gift, My Love.”

You pulled back a bit, looking up at him confused. “Courting gift? Another Northern custom I’m assuming?”

He chuckled, nodding, “Royals don’t really participate in Courting, since most of our marriages are arranged, but I did promise you to teach you every part of our culture.”

“That you did. So, what does a courting fully entail?” You still hung in his arms, as he easily picked you up, his hands gripping your thighs, gently placing you both on the pillows and fur blankets on the ground. You straddled his hips naturally, now just a few inches above him.

“Well, it mostly entails me spoiling you rotten, though I suppose I was already going to do that. Dates, gifts, holding hands, kissing, any little thing that shows you I am yours and shows the world that I am yours. Not every gift is a material possession, most mean something more than materials, like how we are currently in the best stargazing spot in the entire kingdom.” He smiled knowingly, and you decided to look up, knowing the sun was completely set now. You gasped softly, taking in the sheer number of stars and the different positions than you were used to. “We’re far enough away from the South that we have a slightly different night sky, and our culture has different constellations, and we are up in the mountains so there’s little to no light pollution.” His hands were currently at your hips, drawing patterns into your waist as he smiled up at you.

“Bucky, its beautiful,” you whispered softly, awestruck.

“And I will be fixing that window seat in the library, make it more comfortable for you to read,” he said softly, gauging your reaction.

Your eyes diverged from the stars, smiling down at him. “You truly are spoiling me, My Love.”

“I want to, y/n/n. You’re my moon and my stars and my sun, my world, my everything.” You tenderly leaned against his forehead, contentedly soaking in his affectionate words.

“You’re my heavens and my earth, my beginning and end, my everything,” you murmured, letting your eyes close. “I would do anything for you, without a second thought.” You smirked, and he noticed the mischief hiding on your lips, he realized he tended to stare a lot at your lips now a days. “And if you cross me, I’ll just kick your ass like those men at the village.”

He laughed, sending vibrations through your chest, making you realize how you were pressed up against him. “I do not doubt that for a second, My Queen.”

“Not yet I’m not, but I do enjoy hearing that,” you opened your eyes, poking his nose playfully.

He seemed unable to stop smiling as you spoke, your words a melody that acted like a balm to his very soul, soothing him. “Good, because I enjoy saying it, and one day everyone will call you that and I’ll have to resort to other nicknames again.” He sighed dramatically, a theatrical frown on his face, sending you in a fit of giggles.

“You absolute dork! It doesn’t matter what other people call me, I only care about what you call me, though I am partial to ‘doll’ for some unknown reason.” It was his turn to laugh.

“Perhaps because I have called you that pet name since we were younger?”

“No, it can’t be that, you’ve got a completely different hair situation, it’s not the same!” You sighed dramatically, mirroring his earlier antics, making him chuckle as he pulled you closer to his body.

“I have been thinking of shaving, perhaps a haircut is also in order. What do you think, doll?” You carded your fingers through his hair before you cupped his jaw in your palms, your thumbs rubbing circles on his cheeks.

“I think you should keep your hair long enough for me to play with it, but other than that, go wild, try something new, life’s too short to not try new hairstyles.” You shrugged.

“Definitely noted, doll,” he grinned, one of his hands leaving your hips to press against the hand at his face as he nuzzled his face into your palm, making you giggle.

“Come here, you big goof,” you tilted his head up, tenderly kissing him, and easily letting it go deeper as you and Buck explored each other’s mouths.

After another heated make out session, you pressed your forehead to his again. “What happens to complete the Courting Ritual?” you asked in a soft voice.

“I present you with an engagement ring, a marriage ritual, and then usually a Mating ritual, but I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable or not ready for yet, My Love.”

You nodded, “One day, with time.” You mumbled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Let’s call it a night, My Love.”

“Certainly, My Dove.” The two of you stood, Bucky happily walking hand in hand with you back to your newly arranged chambers.

You placed a gentle chaste kiss against his lips as you stood outside your chamber doors. “I will see you tomorrow, sweet dreams, Bucky.”

He smiled, “You as well, My Queen.” Before he could even take a step back from you, you pulled him into a hug, and he melted against you.

“If you wake with more night terrors, wake me up, I’ll gladly keep you company.” You whisper against his ear, careful so the guards at your door couldn’t hear.

He breathed out harshly but nodded, “I will. Sleep well, My Love.” He kissed your nose before walking off to his chambers, which were just down the corridor.

You said goodnight to the guards, closed the doors and quickly got changed into pajamas. You took a quick glance around the new room, it looked similar to your one in the South, only it had the same style as Bucky’s room and it was a bit bigger. You climbed into bed and laid back, smiling as you fell asleep, already thinking about your blue-eyed king.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky courts the princess more and more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Absolute and utter fluff!, badass!reader, mild language, a self-harm mention (not reader), Nudity but no smut

Light flooded the once dark room as Natasha opened the curtains. You groaned, turning to your side and pulling a pillow over your eyes. "Five more minutes!" You cried out, your voice gruff with sleep.

Wanda poked her head out of the bathroom to speak, "Rise and shine! You need a bit of a pick-me-up so here I am, your bath is already drawn, and I'll be washing and braiding your hair."

You took a peak from underneath your pillow that sheltered you from the harsh morning light. "With the oils and perfume Pietro brought over?" You asked in a whisper, still desperate for sleep, but slowly being coaxed out of bed.

Wanda nodded, "One time offer so hurry up!"

"I'm coming!" You conceded, stretching your back, and letting the pillow fall off your face.

Five minutes later you were laying in the bath, Wanda washing your hair, her nails scratching your scalp as she shampooed your strands. You groaned softly, melting into her palms as you sipped on your coffee.

"So, y/n," Natasha, who was sitting beside the tub, doing your nails on your free hand, started to say. "How's the King treating you?"

You sighed softly, "I should have known you two were up to something, this sort of pampering only comes before events or when you're buttering me up," you teased. It had been about three months since you had moved up North with Bucky, and the seasons had shifted to autumn, the mountains already had more snow on top of them, bringing the cold to you. Bucky was swept up in work, busy trying to make sure the kingdom had enough in storage to last the winter. In the morning he would rush to meetings, and in the evenings when he could, he would find you around the castle. You were slowly familiarizing yourself in the halls, the passageways had a lot of wrong turns that could throw someone off, which just reminded you of your garden maze back in the South.

So far Bucky had been spoiling you rotten, and despite the multitude of interruptions, he was trying his hardest to spend time with you. He had managed to sneak himself away to give you a silver constellation necklace on a small golden chain, the constellation his birth was tied to, a necklace that never left your neck. He was still working on the greenhouse, but with his help, you managed to fix up the library, including a new window seat with pillows and fur lined blankets.

You still remember the day you had found his personal study, the place he mentioned he destroyed during a rampage when he first came back from the War. It was an utter mess, books and maps littered the floor, the desk had splinters, and one wall had a hole in it, left behind most likely by his metal arm punching it. You immediately started to clean up the room, and that's how he found you that night, asleep, curled up against the desk, clutching a map of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms, the room mostly cleaned up. He had picked you up and tried to tuck you into bed, but you only buried yourself deeper into his arms, happy for the extra warmth.

You had also begun to bring a warmth to the castle, one that you had heard the maids whispering about once. Naturally grown flowers from the nearby village were found in multiple rooms, scented candles from the lovely old lady two villages down the mountain, even representatives from other nations had mentioned the life seeping into the palace. You even had constellation lights added into your chambers, a fact only a select few people knew, and a new book on Morse code since you found out Bucky and Steve learned it in the War.

You had also frequently checked in with Steve, who sent Scott with you since he only trusted a few personal guards with your life, and Scott already knew the Northern Kingdom since his daughter Cassie lived with her mom and stepdad in the North. Steve was also doing perfectly fine as King, making you prouder than ever, and finally had a date with the Lady in court he had been eyeing.

Yet despite the many attempts you had of making this new home, well homely, something always felt missing. Love. Bucky. Always busy, always tiring himself out, wearing himself out too thin, he put the needs of the people and you above his own. You told as much to Natasha and Wanda, the latter having moved on to conditioning your hair now.

"I love him, gods, I absolutely adore him, but he needs to think of himself every once in a while. He has too many duties, taking on everything at once, and I have a feeling that's why you two are currently pampering me," you looked towards Natasha, who had a smirk on her face.

"You're reading my mind, y/n/n," she teased. "A King needs a Queen, henceforth, we are making you one. He has a meeting with his advisors today about increasing the storage for the grains to survive the winter. We both know you have been working on a plan, a good one, but you're too scared to tell him outright."

Wanda combed out your hair, massaging oils into your scalp as she spoke next. "Show everyone you will be a magnificent queen. Today, you're not going to just look like a queen, you're going to act like one. They won't respect you until you show them you're not some show pony princess from the south."

You smiled faintly, "You two are always scheming behind my back, but it is a good idea. Finally, be heard, be in charge, pull some of the weight of the duties off of Bucky, spend more time with him," you sighed and melted against Wanda's magical hands again. "Let's be a Queen." You whispered softly.

You let the two do their utter best, and by the end of it, you looked absolutely regal. A simple pink lace evening dress, and a tiara made of crystals on your head, you held back a proud smirk when you looked at yourself in the mirror. The tiara was made of an rose gold, which caught the light when you moved, just enough to catch people's attention without being flashy. You finished the look with the constellation necklace Bucky had given you, which shone bright against the pink lace.

You pushed your shoulders back, and held your head up high, deciding to use your best regal look, one you had perfected over the years. You entered the strategy room, all eyes going towards you. Advisors circled the table, maps and plans along the table, with Bucky at the head of the table. Everyone was standing and considering the red faces of more than one advisor, you had interrupted a rather heated fight. You locked eyes with Bucky, who instantly smiled as he saw you, the cold expression he had when you walked in had melted just at the sight of you.

You took your time walking towards his side of the table, standing towards his left as you would if you were seated on thrones, taking your time to address the table. "Good afternoon, my Love," you happily kissed Bucky's now clean shave cheek. He had decided to go for the haircut and shaved after all, with hair just long enough for you to get your hands through it. You then turned to the advisors, "Good afternoon everyone, I have decided to join you all." You smiled warmly, leaving no room for disagreement, full well knowing you would still get some. Bucky looked at you a bit confused but also in awe, taking in the new order in stride, trusting you fully.

His advisors, however, weren't as welcome. "With all due respect, princess, we are speaking about matter that do not concern you," a white-haired official spoke up, you recognized as Baron Ross. Despite Bucky's surprise of your presence, he knew Natasha and Scott had been teaching you everything to know about Northern Politics, including all the nobles and advisors in court, and who to be wary of.

"Well, Baron Ross, it does concern me. I may have been born in the Southern Kingdom, but the people of the Northern Kingdom will be my people soon enough. Unless you are saying that feeding said people is a topic that should not concern the leader of the people, I should and will be here." You kept your head held up high, determined not to show the fear in your heart that they wouldn't like you. _It doesn't matter what they think,_you reminded yourself, _Bucky chose you and that's all that matters. _

Another representative, one you couldn't see, spoke up. "Then what do you suppose you could do about the problem at hand? What could you possibly know about the situation?"

You bit back the growl growing in the back of your throat, Bucky wasn't as suppressed, you could see him tense, no doubt about to lash out at the man who questioned your ability. You gently placed your hand on top of his metal hand that was gripping the table. He visibly relaxed, as the metal had sensors to fire into his nerves, something you had asked Shuri once, and your very touch soothed him.

"Well, I know you have all been bickering about the food storage for the past month. Quarreling like children will only hinder the people instead of yourselves as we all know the Royal and Noble silos have been full for months. Besides, I've been working on a solution that will help the people that all parties should benefit from." You effectively shut the rest of the table up, and all eyes were on you as you explained your idea. Halfway through, Bucky had intertwined your hands together, letting you take charge of the room with his silent support. By the time they closed for the day, you had a fully functional plan and agreement in place that suited everyone's needs while also helping the kingdom.

You walked hand in hand with Bucky, who was in complete awe of you. "You were absolutely amazing, My Love! You going to be a magnificent Queen, you practically already are one!" He gushed, making you blush.

"Took a little push from my ladies but they were right, it's time I help ease the burden upon your shoulders, My Love," you kissed his cheek playfully, glancing behind you towards the personal guards flanking you, new ones you noticed. "What shall we do with our new free time?"

His face lit up, no doubt a grand idea forming in his head. "Follow me, it's time I introduce you to somebody," he sounded excited, already tugging you outside to where the Royal animals were kept.

He whistled once inside, his grip on your hand faltering as he took a step forward. A flash of pure white bounded towards the two of you, jumping into Bucky and knocking him backwards. You yelped as his hand was ripped away from you, but all you could hear was his laughter as he wrestled with the white fur on top of him. It took you a moment to realize it was a pure white wolf attacking Bucky with kisses. He finally managed to sit up, and your heart melted at the sight before you. The juvenile wolf was still nipping at him, kissing his face, and yipping happily as he rubbed her ears and muzzle. A breathless Bucky looked up towards you, the bundle of fur managing to tire herself out, now curled up in his lap, definitely too big to fit there but managing to crush him anyway. "This is Aurora, my wolf, she's still a pup but she's already fiercely loyal, and ball of energy," he cooed at the wolf pup, who just whined and nuzzled into the hand scratching her ear.

You knelt beside the two, noticing how the wolf bared her teeth towards you as you got closer to Bucky. "She's absolutely beautiful," you said softly. Bucky gently took you hand in his own, presenting it to the wolf. She sniffed at you warily before nudging your palm with her muzzle. Bucky lead your hand, gently brushing the wolf's fur. She was softer than most of the furs in your bed, and soon she closed her eyes, trusting that Bucky wouldn't let you hurt her. She whined softly, and as Bucky let your hand go, she relaxed against your hand, happily letting you scratch behind her ears. Bucky couldn't help but smile, overjoyed Aurora loved you. You sat beside him, Aurora nudging herself onto your lap to enjoy your affection. You cooed at the wolf, "You're such a good girl, aren't you? Such a good Wolfie, so soft and pretty!" The wolf in question melted against you, practically purring in your arms.

Bucky whistled, and her ears perked, but she stayed contentedly in your arms. "She loves you more than me!" He accused dramatically.

You laughed, shrugging, "I'm just that amazing," you teased, giving Bucky a toothy grin.

He chuckled, standing up, "There's someone else you need to meet," when you looked up, you noticed how nervous he was. He tried whistling again, a different tone, and Aurora slowly got up, still looking towards you with her golden eyes. She curled into a ball beside you but now off of your lap, causing Bucky to groan. "Yep, you're definitely the favorite."

You giggled, running your fingers through her fur as she whimpered happily. "So, who is this new person I need to meet?" You asked happily, grinning up at him.

He smiled bashfully, "Wait here, close your eyes, My Love," he leaned over and kissed your temple just as you closed your eyes. You had your hands on you lap, hearing him shuffling around, and the voice of one of the animal keepers. He came back towards you and placed something small and furry in your arms before taking a step back. "Open your eyes, My Queen," he whispered into your ear, goosebumps raising, and a shiver ran down your spine.

You looked down, gasping softly at the small bundle of grey and black fur, a tiny wolf pup in your arms. You cooed, the pup looking up at you with bright blue eyes, which were just a shade lighter than Bucky's eyes. "Aw! You're the sweetest little thing!" You kept cooing, happily holding the pup close. She whined softly, relaxing into your arms, making you smile warmly at the pup. "What's her name?" You looked up at Bucky who was currently taking a picture of you and the pup, his own heart melting as he saw the bundle of fur curl into your body warmth. "Raine," he said with a grin, already putting his phone away and sitting beside you again. "It means Queen. This cutie was born four months ago, and we were waiting for her eyes to open so she could meet you. In another month, she starts her training and before you know it, she'll be attached to your hip like Aura is to me." He was smiling proudly, and the pup whined softly, diverting your attention to the pup.

"You precious pup!" You kissed the wolf's head, who just whimpered, nudging her muzzle into your cheek. You showered the pups with kisses and affection, practically purring loving words towards them. Both wolves eagerly soaked up your affection.

"Technically, she's supposed to be a wedding gift, but I could help myself." Bucky tenderly pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, smiling warmly towards you.

You launched at him, hugging him and kissing him gently, careful of the wolf pup in your arms. "Thank you! A million times, thank you, Bucky. She's absolutely precious! I love her so much, and I love Aurora so much, and most of all I love you so much!" You gushed, grinning at him.

He gave you a goofy smile, absolutely enamored by you, and he noticed the wolf pup yawning in your arms. "I believe it's this little one's bed time," he kissed your temple once you two broke apart, and you stood gingerly, still clinging to the pup, walking beside him to put the pup to bed, Aurora staying close to your legs. "And you're welcome, My Moon and Stars," you grinned at the new pet name, your smile making him melt. You put the pup into the fur bed, Aurora curling herself around the pup protectively. "Aura practically adopted her," Bucky explained, taking your hand in his, smiling as the two of you walked back into the castle.

"They are absolutely gorgeous," you grinned up at him, holding yourself close to him. "What should we do now, My Love," you said softly, following him towards his chambers.

"How about a movie? We can finally watch that other movie you wanted me to watch, Moana, and I made sure that we both have tomorrow off." You said goodnight to the guards posted at the door to his chambers, grinning as the doors closed behind the two of you.

"So, an entire day with you all to myself?" You teased him, pressing yourself against the ornate wooden doors. "Sleep in, relax all day, kiss all day," he followed suit, leaning against you, your chests pressed together.

He tenderly laid his forehead against yours, your lips ghosting past each other. "I have a picnic I want to take you on, on this beautiful spot I think you'll adore."

Your lips curled up in a smile, "I'd love that," your hands ran up his chest, mapping his muscles out. "Kiss me, Bucky," you whispered softly, locking eyes.

He tilted your chin up, moving the inch closer to your lips, your lips melding against his. He pressed against you harder as you deepened the kiss; you sucked on his bottom lip, smirking at his resulting groan. His hands wrapped around your wrists, pinning them against the door, making your heart skip a beat.

You broke the kiss, taking a deep gulp of air, your chest heaving against him. Your corset wasn't really helping matters, the restrictive material making it hard to breathe. Bucky noticed, yelping as he took a step back, letting your arms go. "Shit, you can't breathe!" He fussed, his hands freezing right above the lace of your dress.

You nodded, "It's okay, help me out of this thing, before you try taking my breath away again," you teased. You walked a bit into the room, turning and shifting your hair to the side to expose the strings of the dress and corset underneath. You looked over your shoulder, Bucky standing there, frozen in place, unsure what to do. "It's okay Buck, I trust you," you encouraged him.

He stepped closer, but still didn't grab the strings. "I don't want to make you think you have to do anything you're uncomfortable with," he spoke in a meek voice.

"Like I said, My Love, I trust you. If I want you to stop anything, I'll tell you. If you think it's too far, just ask me and I'll answer," you gently led his arms to the edge of the strings. He nodded, tugging the beginning of the strings loose, you let out a harsh breath, instantly feeling better.

"May I kiss your skin, My Moon and Stars?" He whispered softly, his breath hot against your neck, sending a shiver down your spine.

You managed a weak "yes," your body ready to relax against him in total trust. You felt his lips against your neck, just against your pulse point. You moaned softly, the gentle touches lighting your skin on fire. As he tugged more strings loose, he lightly kissed you neck and shoulders. Your eyes fluttered close, melting against him. "Tell me more about courting traditions," you murmured softly.

Bucky chuckled behind you, a bit confused by the complicated corset, but getting the hang of it. "Well, a courting starts with a silent promise written down. The person being courted can only read that promise during their wedding ritual. Any gender can start it towards any other gender and technically at any age, but it typically is done when they are both of age. Courting can take months, or years, or longer. Like how Dum Dum and his wife started courting when they were thirteen, and they married when he came back from the war." He loosened the last few strings of the dress, and you let it fall, now only in the corset and your panties.

"Keep going," you whispered softly. You felt Bucky nuzzle into your neck, kissing any skin he could find while he continued loosening the corset and speaking.

"The person doing the courting spoils the courted person, proving to them and to others that they can provide for them, physically, spiritually, mentally," he paused, kissing right below your ear on your soft spot, making you purr beneath him. "Sexually," he finished the corset strings, which had just enough give to stay on your body.

"Care for a bath instead of a movie? We don't have to do anything," you quickly added, letting your hand slip into his hair, gently carding through the strands. "You could tell me more about the rituals," you mumbled before noticing how silent he was at your idea. "What's wrong, My Love?" You asked softly, turning and quickly holding his face in your hands, running your thumbs across his cheeks soothingly.

He melted against your palms with a small sigh. "You won't like what you see when I am not clothed," he whispered softly. It didn't take a genius to realize he was ashamed of his scars.

"Nonsense, I love you, not for your looks but for your heart," you pressed a tender kiss to his forehead. "We don't have to, this isn't just about my comfort, it's also about yours. Let me hold you close, all of you," he looked down towards you, smiling faintly before nodding.

"I trust you," he whispered softly. Your heart melted, you knew he didn't give out his trust freely, as his trust was more guarded than his heart. You two had made your way to the bathroom, and you turned on the water to the bathtub, turning back towards him as it filled.

You kissed his nose playfully, "No hanky panky," you teased, unbuttoning his shirt.

He chuckled, nodding, "No hanky panky," he mumbled.

You smiled warmly, already letting your hands gently push back his shirt. He visibly tensed as you exposed his left shoulder. The scars where metal met flesh were angry and red, and months of watching the healers patch up others could tell you it was partially self-inflicted. You kissed the scar gently, gauging his reaction. He relaxed just a smidge as he closed his eyes, surrendering fully to you. You let the shirt fall to the floor, kissing every scar along his shoulders and collarbones. His chest was an array of multiple scars and burns; you didn't stop to think what caused all of them, it was all in the past.

"These scars aren't ugly, My Love. They are your own constellations. They are a map of your past. They mean that you are strong, and you survived terrible thing, that you are a warrior." You saw him start to relax as you kiss more scars, practically whimpering as you kissed his skin. His body was well sculpted, _made from the gods_, is all you could think. Pure muscle, toned, golden skin; you let your hands happily explore his chest and stomach, lightly mapping him out.

Eventually, he melted against you, accepting that you weren't running away or scared. His hands found their way to your hips, running up your back and tugging at the strings of your corset. "May I see you as well, My Love?" he murmured softly against at the shell of your ear. You nodded, biting your lip as he tugged the last string free, letting the corset fall, leaving you in only your panties and the constellation necklace around your neck.

You were a bit insecure, your arms crossing against your chest as you looked away. Bucky's hands stopped you, gently moving your arms away before tilting your face up to see him. "You're absolutely beautiful, doll," he spoke softly. Your nipples hardened from the cold air, a small shiver running down your spine as goose bumps raised on your skin. He chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to your collarbone, "Absolutely perfect," he mumbled. You whimpered softly, your eyes fluttering close at his touch. He ran his hands down your body, before they found their way to your hips, tugging you in as Bucky pressed his lips against your own. _That was heaven, _you decided. Soft lips of velvet and a faint taste of coffee and vanilla, you loved kissing Bucky.

Your hands stopped the water in the bath, before blindly tugging at his pants as you kissed him, his hands curling against the band of your panties. A few moments later you both stood naked in front of each other, unknowingly both nervous about what the other would think. You locked eyes with Bucky, gently taking his hand and leading him to the bath. He sat in the warm waters first, leading you in the tub. You sat between his legs, happily leaning against his chest, your fingers already tracing patterns into both of his arms.

Nothing about what you two were doing was sexual, both of you needed the intimacy with each other, reassuring the other was really there. "Tell me more about courting," you whispered softly, leaning your head on Bucky's shoulder.

He smiled warmly behind you, wrapping his arms around your stomach to keep you close. "Well, there are cases of mutual courtship, where both parties spoil each other," he spoke softly, one of his hands leaving your stomach to run through your hair.

"There is?! Why didn't you tell me? I would love to spoil you," you whisper-yelled, turning in his arms.

He chuckled, nuzzling his nose into your neck. "Your very presence spoils me. You're my Northern Star, Doll," he whispered softly.

"I never got the chance to ask you what that means," you carded your fingers through his hair, unknowingly soothing him, his eyes closing.

"There's a part of my story I haven't told you yet, My Love," he kissed your exposed neck, smiling faintly as you purred beneath him. "I've been in love with you since we were younger, the beautiful princess I couldn't get enough of. I had a lot of flings when we were younger because I thought you could never be mine, even engaged I thought you'd only see me as your husband out of necessity and not love. During the war, once Steve rescued me I sat for a month, waiting, healing. During that month I read through every letter you had sent me during the time I was gone, and Stevie even let me read his, all of his mentioned me in some way. It took me the middle of a war, already losing everything, to realize you loved me the way I loved you. After the war and multiple mental breaks, all Steve had to do was mention you and it set me right again. You, doll, guide me back home just by existing, you're my Northern Star." You practically melted into his arms as he spoke, gently curling his hair around your fingers. "Sometimes I believe the reason the crown fell onto my head was so that it may also fall upon yours. The kind yet fierce, loyal and brave, intelligent and beautiful Princess. The woman who was born to be a Queen," he murmured into your neck, goosebumps raising where his breath fanned across. "The sexiest woman in the world, the woman who owns my heart."

You practically whimpered in his arms. You were right, you most definitely would not survive love making with him. He kept his metal hand firm on your lower stomach, dangerously close to your core, which sent heat directly towards it. You tensed, feeling his right hand at your rib, just a hair below your breast. "I promised not to try anything," he whispered softly, both hands freezing, "I just want to hold you."

His voice soothed you, and you relaxed against him. "I trust you, truly I do, I've just never... I haven't..." You fumbled for words. Your cultures were very different from each other. In the Southern Kingdom, practically everyone of Noble birth waited until marriage, while in the North it wasn't expected of Nobles to do as such, in fact, most didn't.

"You've never had sex before. I understand, doll," he reassured softly. "I will wait for you. Whether it's on our wedding night or even afterwards, I'll wait an eternity for you. I'll never push you to do something you don't want to."

You felt hot tears build up in your eyes, you quickly blinked them away, feeling nothing but absolutely loved. Every time you thought you were at the peak of your love for Bucky, he proved you wrong, you couldn't stop loving this man and he kept proving he absolutely adored you. "I want to, and I want you, wholly and fully. I just don't want my first time in a bathtub." You teased lightly, a yawn almost breaking your words. You nuzzled closer to him, your eyes suddenly feeling heavy.

He chuckled behind you, the vibrations sending warmth throughout your body. "Rest, My Love, I'll tuck you in bed, and we have tomorrow off, remember? All the sleep you want," he kissed your temple lovingly, reaching over and tugging the drain loose.

He stood, quickly grabbing a towel and wrapping it around you, picking you up bridal style. Your eyes closed, content in his arms, quickly approaching sleep. "What clothes would you like, My Love?" you hummed in acknowledgement but smiled playfully, tucking yourself deeper into his arms and not answering. He sighed softly, "You little troublemaker," he teased, slowly placing you under the covers of his bed. You whined when he pulled away, much to his amusement. He kissed your hair, smiling as he smelled your lavender shampoo, "I'll be right back, promise," he whispered softly.

He quickly dried off, tossing on a pair of boxers before joining you in bed. You quickly found his body warmth, snuggling closer to him, letting the blanket between you get pushed away. You weren't scared to be completely naked in his arms, fully trusting he wouldn't try anything, you just weren't quite ready (well frankly have the energy) to do anything tonight.

He pulled blankets and furs above the two of you, elated to wrap his arms around you. He kissed your temple, making you purr in your dazed state. He chuckled, thinking you looked positively adorable. "Good night and sweet dreams, My Northern Star," he whispered softly, his voice luring you into a restful sleep.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How will you and Bucky spend your day off?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Sickening!Fluff!!, Smut (18+ Only), Language

You woke up the next day to a still dark room, curled up to something warm, soft humming in your ear. You felt the vibrations rather than hear the melody, and you nuzzled into the warmth, quickly realizing it must be Bucky. He had a hand on your lower back, lazily running patterns into the skin, while another hand in your hair, running his fingers through it. He kissed your head with a soft hum, "Good morning, My Love," he whispered softly, his voice deep from sleep.

"Good morning," you replied in a soft voice. He smiled warmly, watching you wake up. He loved everything about you in the morning, your mused hair, your little stretches, the way your eyes crinkled when you hid from the light, the way you curled into him for warmth. Gods, he was completely enamored by you and everything you did.

"The day is yours, My Moon and Stars, what would you like to do first?" He kissed your nose, melting as you crunched your nose up in response.

"How about some of those kisses I was promised?" You teased. He chuckled, peppering your face with kisses. You squealed, "Ew! Morning breath! Go brush your teeth first!" You weakly tried pushing him away, laughing as he attacked you with kisses and tickles. "I surrender! I surrender!" You cried out, tears in your eyes as you giggled and squirmed.

He conceded, taking a sharp inhale as he realized you were still naked, now emphasized by you sitting up, the blankets falling off your shoulders. "Gods you're beautiful," he mumbled in complete awe. You blushed, pulling the blanket back over you to cover your chest, gently pushing his shoulder to get him moving. He kissed your head before running towards the bathroom, brushing his teeth in record time. You giggled as he jumped onto the bed, quickly getting on top of you. "Brushed my teeth, does that mean I get those kisses now?"

You shook your head, smiling playfully, "I have to brush my teeth now too," You wrapped the blanket closer to yourself. "But I'm so comfy like this!"

He chuckled, his forehead pressed against yours, "I don't mind, baby," he murmured softly, tilting your head up. He kissed you tenderly, those soft as velvet lips felt like heaven against your lips. You smiled into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him in closer, the blanket falling again, exposing you as you tasted the mint laced into his lips.

"Rise and shine!" A familiar voice pulls you away from Bucky, Natasha walking in with Wanda in tow. Suddenly hyperaware of your current clothing situation, or lack thereof, you yelped, pulling the blanket back around you.

"Nat!" You groaned, "Do you ever knock?!"

"Nope! Clearly, we were interrupting something, but the King here wanted you to get ready for horseback riding and lunch, so here we are to help you get ready," she replied with a smile.

Bucky sat beside you, sighing softly, "I said to give me ten minutes to wake her up first, Wanda," he mumbled exasperated.

Wanda shrugged, "Ten minutes are over, sorry 'bout it, now let's go! It's already so late!" Wanda was already at the bed side tugging you to your feet, and you clung to the covers. "Stop being modest, nothing we haven't seen before. Bucky, we're hijacking your bathroom," she warned before pulling you towards said bathroom. You gave Bucky a sad look, pouting that you didn't get more kisses. He chuckled, motioning for you to go with them. They closed the door behind you, already tugging you into the shower and pulling the blankets off of you.

"So! Tell us! How was he?" Natasha whisper-yelled, aware Bucky was still in the other room but wanting all the juicy details.

"We didn't do anything, Nat," you mumbled, lathering a loofa while Wanda did the same behind you.

"So why were you naked in the king's bed?" She questioned, no teasing in her voice just clear confusion.

"We took a bath, and I fell asleep, he took me to bed," you explained, Wanda and her taking turns massaging soap into your skin. "When the topic arose, he said he'd wait for me, that he'd wait forever if he had too."

Wanda cooed, wrapping you in a towel, "That's sweet! Not many men, especially royals would care for someone like that."

You sighed, nodding as you dried off. "I know, Wan... I truly and utterly love him," you whispered.

Once you had your riding clothes on, Natasha sat you down on a stool, braiding your hair. Wanda then spoke up, "Are you going to wait like in your kingdom?" She asked softly, not wanting to upset you.

You shook your head, "I want to, especially with him, and I trust him. I just want it to be special, you know? I want romance, and make it mean something. I don't want my first time to happen just because it had too, but I don't want to wait. I always found rules in the South a bit excessive, but to each their own. Last night was perfect, but gods I tensed up then I practically fell asleep on him," you groaned, your hands running over your face.

Natasha chuckled behind you, "Then stay awake today, see where the day leads you," she finished off the braid, Wanda placing a few flowers in your hair.

"We heard about you kicking the council's ass yesterday as well, great job," Nat smiled proudly, making you grin in response. "Now today you get to relax. Horseback riding, you slept in, you can chill." You closed your eyes, relaxing against the chair.

"Well not right here, go, he's waiting for you at the stables," Wanda chastised.

"Why do I have the feeling you three schemed this all up?" You mumbled, standing up.

"Because clearly we did, now go," Nat shooed you out the door.

You happily made your way outside to the stables, already spotting Bucky standing beside his horse and your own. You grinned, quickly kissing his cheek before fussing over your horse. Dermot nuzzled his snout into your cheek, neighing happily.

"How's my little Dermot doing? My baby!" You cooed, messing with the horse before looking towards Bucky.

He had a goofy smile on his face, "Ready to go, My Love?"

You nodded excitedly, quickly mounting Dermot, taking the reins from Bucky. "Come on, Bucket! Let's go!" You teased, grinning.

He jumped onto his horse as well, laughing as he nudged you aside with his foot. "See if you can keep up, Princess!" He hit his reigns hard, Novalurching forward and galloping out of the area, gaining speed.

"No fair!" You cried out, hitting your reigns just as hard, Dermot running after Nova and Bucky. "You got a head start, you cheater!" The wind carried back his laughter as he raced out of the palace grounds. You felt the wind hit your face as you easily kept up with the other horse.

He led you out past the forest surrounding the castle, eventually stopping in a clearing. You could hear the rumble of a waterfall not too far away, and realized he was leading you straight towards it.

You both dismounted, tying the horses' reigns to a nearby tree. He walked over, easily lacing your hands together, a picnic basket in his other arm. You looked towards it with a raised eyebrow, before glancing towards Nova, now seeing a satchel attached to the horse. "Thought we could have a picnic for lunch," Bucky spoke softly, "In this spot," he gently nudged your shoulder and you turned, gasping softly. You were at the edge of a clearing, a small waterfall above you which fell down to the rocks below.

"It's beautiful," you whispered softly. You turned towards him, and he was already looking at you, gauging your reaction to the spot.

He smiled warmly, relaxing as he put the basket down. "I thought you might like it." You helped him place some blankets down, but he kept pulling the basket away as you peeked inside. "That's a surprise, no peeking!" He teased, making you pout. He chuckled, sitting down beside you to face the waterfall. "Want to know a secret?" He asked softly.

You nodded, leaning your head against his shoulder. "I'm all ears," you teased back, still watching the waterfall.

"I've never shown someone this place before, it's my little secret. Found it when I was younger, haven't even shown it to Steve," he wrapped his arms around you, tugging you closer. "Now it's our little secret," he kissed your head lovingly.

You felt your heart skip a beat, he trusted you more than he trusted Steve, something you didn't think was possible. "It's amazing." You whispered before a mischievous smile lit up your face. "Your secret's safe with me, Bucket," you grinned up at him, now realizing how close you two were. "My Princey," you mumbled softly, using your childhood nicknames.

He used his free hand to cup your jaw softly, his thumb rubbing circles into your skin. "My Princess," he replied with that charming smile that could make any girl beg on their knees for him. You leaned forward, happily kissing him. He instantly replied, deepening the kiss a moment later. He, surprisingly, was the one to break the kiss, pressing his forehead against yours. "As much as I'd love to kiss you all day, and gods, I'd love to, I have a few more surprises," he gave you a chaste kiss before sitting up straight again, still holding you close.

He finally opened the basket, pulling out waffles first, "Since I know how much you love breakfast, we are having it for lunch," he looked proud of himself as he pulled out an array of toppings, each sweeter than the last. Fruits, whip cream, syrup, then caramel. You noticed the syrup and caramel was both from the South. "And then, this," he pulled out a cake, one that looked like the textbook version of the ones back in the South.

Your mouth watered, you haven't had Southern style food in months, and you wouldn't admit how much you missed it. "Well come on, Bucket! Let's eat!" You said excitedly, smiling up at him.

He chuckled, "Patience, My Love," he kissed your temple, pulling out the plates and cutlery, serving you then himself. You were practically bouncing in your spot, dying to have some of the sweetness of waffles and caramel.

The first bite made you groan out loud, "Gods these are amazing, Bucky," you mumbled, devouring your food.

He laughed, nudging you playfully, "Slow down there, doll, you'll choke on your food, that's a terrible way to go."

"'Died eating waffles,' I think that's an awesome way to go," you teased back.

Then came the cake, which he also served you first. You held onto the plate, restless as you waited for him to serve himself. "Go ahead, try it," he looked anxious, biting his lip while watching your reaction.

You shrugged it off, taking a bite of the treat. You practically moaned, "Gods, who made this? It tastes amazing! Tastes like how my grandmother used to make," you gushed.

Bucky blushed in front of you, nervously replying, "I made it..." Your eyes widened, your heart melting that this boy in front of you who certainly never learned to cook, tried to for you. "I noticed you were getting a bit homesick so I wanted to bring some of the South here to you and I remembered you used to always talk about your grandma's baking skills since she didn't care that she was queen she still wanted to bake and I practically begged Sam and Natasha and Steve to find the recipe and then I made several attempts to make it, but something always went wrong until I made this one so I was hoping it would be good and-"

"Bucky," you said softly, placing the plate down and holding his hands, effectively shutting down his rambling, his attention focused on you. "It's absolutely amazing, thank you so much, I can't tell you how much this means to me. And you made it from scratch and going the extra mile to make it my Nona's recipe? And taking me to this beautiful spot? I just, Bucky, I know you're spoiling me, but this is all so amazing," you sniffled, wiping the tears appearing at the edge of your eyes, smiling at him. "Happy tears, I promise," you murmured absentmindedly.

In true Bucky fashion, he fused over you, gently trying to wipe your cheeks of tears, holding you close. "As I've told you, doll, you deserve the world," he kissed your cheeks, your eyes fluttering closing. He gingerly pressed kisses to each of your eyelids, your forehead, your nose, your chin, then your lips. You pushed forward as he pulled back. He grinned against your lips, leaning himself forward to kiss you deeper, running his tongue across your lips asking for permission. You opened your mouth to him, happily kissing him longer and longer. You nudged him backwards and you were soon on top of him, grinning down at him.

He growled playfully, flipping the two of you so your back pressed against the fur of the blankets. The crisp late October air made you shiver, definitely not used to the cooler temperatures. Of course, he noticed, gently wrapping a blanket around you before kissing you again. You grinned into the kiss, pulling him closer as you deepened the kiss.

He pulled away again, making you groan softly. "Get back over here!" You tugged on his shirt to pull him closer for another kiss.

He showered your face in kisses, distracting you enough to pull away. "One last thing," he sat up, pulling you so you could sit up as well. He grabbed the basket, pulling out something hidden by more blankets. You gasped as you saw it, a beautiful conch shell, in shades of browns and pinks and oranges, that he must have had gone to the South to retrieve, but you were more concerned about the meaning behind a bachelor gifting you with a conch shell. You looked up towards him, noticing he was anxious again, hoping for your seal of approval.

"You know what this means right?" You whispered hopefully.

He nodded slowly, "I have Steve helping me learn traditions from the South, this one included," he gingerly placed the conch in your hands. "I found it on the shore when I couldn't sleep one night while visiting you. Was waiting for the right time to present it to you, and... I found it on the shore where we first were introduced to each other when we were younger, a full Southern Proposal and Declaration of Love."

He gently wiped more tears from your eyes, which you didn't even realize you had. "A shell from where you first meet to bind you together for eternity," you recited softly. "And we met on the Shore of Peace, where diplomats from other countries come to meet my people," you mumbled absentmindedly. A regular shell given to you was one thing but this one shell in your hand meant more to you than a ring would have in your Kingdom. "Bucky..." You looked up towards him, slowly placing the shell down, unable to hold back your tears as you launched at him. "Thank you," you managed to whisper as you buried your face into his neck, overwhelmed by how far he was willing to go to show you how much you meant to him. He held you close, soothingly running his hand up and down your spine.

"You know," you managed to say once the tears died down. "I know there's kind of an equivalent here in the North," you pulled away, still holding him at arm's length as he gave you a questioning look. "I actually was going to give it to you tonight, but now seems like a better time." You pulled the constellation necklace out from under your, a second golden chain attached to it, with a silver pendent at the end of it. You pulled it off and showed it to him, his eyes wide as he took in its features. A phoenix feather pendent with a wolf face etched into the silver. "I sketched out the design, and Tony helped me make it before I left the South. I was waiting for a good time to give it to you... A necklace made of never-ending silver and gold, places near their heart to keep you close," you looked up at him, and now it was his turn to look teary eyed.

"Gods, it's beautiful, doll, I don't know what to say," he finally looked away from the pendent, a bit up towards you. You reached over and placed the necklace on him, the chain long enough that the pendent hung over his heart.

You smiled warmly, "I took some liberties, like instead of a traditional mountain shape I used a phoenix feather shape, so you always have a piece of me wherever you are. No matter how far I am, I'm always right here," you placed your hand over the pendent, right over his heart.

He sniffled faintly, "Gods, you're absolutely perfect," he leaned his forehead against yours.

"Is that so, My Princey Bucket?" You teased, grinning.

He wore a matching smile, "Without a doubt, My Precious Princess," he kissed your nose. "I love it, doll, thank you."

You tugged him closer, "I love you, My King," you let your eyes close, leaned against him. He pressed forward, both of you tumbling to the ground again, setting off a fit of giggles from you.

He kissed you gently, "I love you too, My Queen," you pulled him against you again, enjoying his weight on top of you as you kissed him again and again and again.

The two of you talked and ate and lounged in the shade for hours, bringing over snacks for the horses at one point. Now that it was evening, you two decided to skip dinner, having eaten snacks and food throughout the afternoon.

You rode back towards the castle lazily, taking your time riding beside Bucky as you watched the sun set between the mountain tops. Once you were on palace grounds and still hidden in the woods, you had the feeling you were being watched. That didn't settle right with you so you nudged Bucky, motioning to follow you, "Last one there is a loser!" You cried out before tugging your reigns, Dermot racing the last bit of distance with Bucky right behind you.

Once at the stables, you dismounted and desaddled in silence, Bucky pulled you aside. "What's wrong?" He whispered softly, the pink light of the sun illuminated his face, and you could see his concern for you in his eyes.

"I'm just being paranoid, I felt like we were being watched." You shook it off, holding your new conch shell close as you walked with Bucky towards his chamber.

"We're royals, doll, we're always being watched," he lightly teased, wrapping his arms around your shoulders.

"You're right, besides, I still won our little race!" You grinned up at him, and he scoffed.

"You cheated," he led you into his chamber, the door closing behind him.

"I won fair and square!" You placed the shell on the desk in his chamber, smiling happily towards it.

"You cheated!" He repeated, picking you up and placing you on the bed, attacking you in tickles.

You squealed, squirming beneath him, trying to avoid his attacks. "Okay, okay! You won!" You conceded, still laughing as he pulled away.

You realized how close you two were, and you closed the distance, kissing him hard. He groaned against your lips, not wasting any time to kiss you back deeply. You ran your tongue against his lips, still tasting the caramel filling from the cake he made. He tasted absolutely wonderfully, and you couldn't get enough.

He was above you, his right hand on your hip, his cybernetic hand beside your head, holding himself up. He bit your bottom lip, pulling a small moan from the back of your throat. You responded by sucking on his bottom lip, enjoying the groan he gave back, which sent searing warmth straight to your core. He was absolutely amazing, and everything you could ever want. Kind, gentle, yet firm and passionate.

Your hands moved away from his neck, tugging on the edge of his shirt. His hand stopped yours, pulling away from your lips. "Wait, are you sure about this, y/n/n? I don't want to take advantage of you, or you assume you have to do anything with me." He looked down at you, and despite his comforting words, his eyes were darker than normal, looking towards you with lust and love.

"I'm sure, Bucky. I want this. I want this with you. Don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely terrified and nervous, but I trust you, fully and wholeheartedly. I want to make love with you, Bucky. I'm yours." You made sure to have the same conviction you felt in your heart show in your voice.

His eyes dilated, a thin blue line surrounded by black. "You're mine." He whispered softly, reassuring to himself that you were. "And I am yours. Body, mind, heart, and soul," he kissed your palms before placing them on the sheets. "Remember, if you want to stop, at absolutely any time, tell me and I will. I don't want to hurt you, My Queen, I want to love you, to be one with you."

You gave him your best smile, which was probably pretty shaky. "I will. Now, love me, My King."

He shot forward, kissing your lips roughly, kissing you with all the passion he felt in his heart. Your mind raced, your pulse quickened, your heart and mind reeled, and your eyes fluttered close. He kissed you deeply, still keeping his usual gentleness with an underlying heat and desperation as he tasted your lips.

His mouth pulled away from yours, trailing open mouth kisses down your chin and jaw, sucking and nibbling at your neck. You gasped as his lips found your soft spot behind your ear. You moaned out softly, his lips sucking marks against your skin, marking you as his.

He found another soft spot just above your pulse point, making you whimper softly, tensing underneath him. "Relax, I have you, I'll take care of you, I promise, My Love," he sat up, running his hands up and down your sides, you could feel the differences in his hands' temperatures through your riding blouse.

You nodded, relaxing a bit. "I trust you," you whispered softly, sitting up enough to pull your blouse off. That left you in a lace bralette, and Bucky looked down towards you like you hung the stars in the sky.

"Gods, you get more gorgeous every day," he ran his flesh hand across your collarbone, goosebumps raising, and a shiver ran down your spine.

"You're probably imaging that, My Love," you teased, squirming a bit under his gaze.

"You don't believe me, do you? I guess I'll just have to prove it to you," his smile held a mischievous glint, and you bit your bottom lip, feeling his hands run down your hips, tugging your riding pants off. You were left in matching panties and bralette, something you realize Natasha must have planned out when you let her pick your outfit. "You're absolutely gorgeous, doll," he ran his hands down your thighs then up your inner thighs, just brushing past your core. You shuddered, a wave of slick flooding your core.

"I don't know what I'm doing," you warned softly, your hands clenched the bedsheets, unsure where else to put them.

"Trust your instincts, doll, other than that, let me do the work. Tonight's about you, we can experiment another day." He ran his hands above your ribs, grazing past your breasts. "May I?" He asked softly, fingers at the clasp behind you. You nodded, letting him take it off, giggling as he tossed it behind him with a goofy look. Your nipples hardened from the cool air, and he smirked faintly, leaning even closer.

His flesh hand gently massaged your left breast, making you groan softly. He licked at your nipples before tugging your right one into his mouth, sucking softly. A moan escaped your lips, and his mouth explored your skin. Wet, open mouth, possessive kisses up your breasts, one right above the necklace he gave you, across your collarbones, up your neck and the bottom of your jaw, before he marked your neck. You were practically mewling beneath him and his hands hadn't moved past your stomach.

His mouth slowly made its way lower and lower, kissing your hip as his hands tugged your panties off. He tossed those aside as well, pushing your legs open. His gaze made you squirm faintly, biting your lip as he placed your legs over his shoulders. He sucked at your inner thigh, another moan erupted from your lips as he marked you again. "You smell amazing, doll, you look absolutely amazing," he kissed your thigh gently, making you whimper softly.

"And you're overdressed," you teased, locking eyes with him. Seeing this strong man between your thighs sent your mind reeling.

He chuckled, leaning against your thigh, the vibrations shot straight to your core. Your skin warm, and your body felt electricized by his very touch.

He took a slow long lick up your core, making you shudder with a small moan as he tasted you. "Gods, you taste incredible," he mumbled, his arms wrapped around your thighs and spread them apart as you trembled.

"P-please Bucky," you murmured, hips jolting up as his thumbs spread your folds apart.

"Patience, My Love. I'll take care of you," his charming smile was back, making you melt. His tongue, however, was even worse. He licked and sucked at your folds and entrance, drinking your juices, making you writhe and groan. He smirked knowingly, moving a little higher and taking your clit between his teeth, nibbling before sucking it softly.

You gasped, hips bucking against him with a loud moan. "Oh gods, that feels good," your eyes fluttered close, your hands gripping the sheets tightly.

"It's supposed to, My Love," Bucky smiled, watching you moan from his simple touch. His flesh hand ran up and down your folds, soaking his fingers as he sucked your clit. "This will feel weird before it feels good," he warned lightly, slowly pushing his middle finger into you.

Your hips rolled at the intrusion, pressure in a place you haven't felt before. A newfound tightness made its way into your stomach. He gingerly moved his finger in and out, before adding a second, stretching your walls. You bit your lip, tensing up faintly.

"Relax," he whispered against your thigh, sucking a new mark as your walls relaxed around him. "That's it, doll, just like that. That feel good?" You nodded, whimpering softly as he moved his fingers faster. He curled his fingers, and you cried out as he found a soft spot. He smirked, focusing his fingers against it.

"B-Bucky, it feels so good, I-" you shuddered, the knot in your stomach tightening, the pressure against your walls starting to overwhelm you. Your hand went to his hair, tightening your grip against his locks.

"Let go, I've got you. Cum for me, My Love," he growled, voice gruff as his fingers sped up again. His mouth attached to your clit again, sucking harshly at the bundle of nerves. You moaned out his name, rolling your hips on instinct against his face and fingers, your hands in his hair keeping him in place as you grinded against him.

The knot in your stomach suddenly snapped, making you cry out loudly as pleasure overtook your senses. You moaned and whimpered, the wave of pleasure hitting you hard, making your toes curl as every nerve in your body seemed to fire at once.

You slowly came down, Bucky pulling his fingers and mouth from you and sitting up. He sucked his fingers off as you watched, your cum dripping down his chin. The vulgar sight sent a chill down your core. You bit your lip, pulling yourself so you sat up too. Your chest heaved, taking deep breaths as he watched your high wane. "Does it always feel that good?" You mumbled, using your thumb to wipe the slick off his chin.

He smirked proudly, "It gets better." You experimentally licked your thumb, curious as to why he was so happy to drink on you like a man starved. You sucked the tangy sweet cum off your thumb, noticing his pupils dilating, a thin blue line around black sin. "Jeez, you're going to kill me, doll," he growled, his hands gripping your hips as he leaned in. "I want you," his breath fanned across your neck, making you shudder.

Your hands tugged his shirt off, smirking as he looked down at you in surprise by your sudden boldness. Your fingers made quick work of his belt and jeans. The leather belt was the same material as the horse buckles, something you were familiar with, so it was easy to tug it down, leaving him in boxers. "I need you, Bucky," you whispered softly, a bit nervous as you saw the outline of his hard cock through the fabric. You gained some confidence and tugged the fabric down, more nerves filling you as you took him in. He looked absolutely beautiful, every piece of him sculpted by the gods themselves. His hard cock was no exception, though you thought absentmindedly that you didn't really have anything else to go by. No, this was a feeling in your very soul. This man was perfect. Your other half. The man who owned your heart.

He tilted your head up to look at him, and despite the lust in his eyes, he spoke with the same gentleness you've grown accustomed to him using towards you. "Y/n/n, it's going to hurt before it feels good, but I promise it'll feel good. I'll take care of you, doll."

You nodded, biting you lip. You were terrified of the potential pain, but you tenderly laced your hands together, looking up at him. "I trust you, My Love, with my everything I am."

He melted at your words, kissing your knuckles, ignoring the burning desire in his brain to take you roughly. He released one of your hands, using his metal hand to line himself to your entrance. The tip of his thick cock was red and angry, dripping in precum, something you've only read about in stories. You were terribly excited to finally be one with him, the realization hitting you hard. This was really happening. And you were also terribly nervous.

He slowly pushed his length into you, letting you adjust. He was right. It hurt. His length stretched you just past your limits, making you whimper softly underneath him. He slowly pulled out then back in again, the pain starting to dull faintly into a faint ache.

"Tell me what you're thinking, doll," he whispered softly after a few more slow, tentative thrusts. You could clearly see how he was holding back, his eyes showing the desperation his mind had.

"I-it still hurts, but it’s starting to go away," you murmured back. His thumb rubbed circles against your skin as he held your hand tenderly, making you whimper softly. "Move, Bucky. You said it gets better, so move," you groaned out, your free hand finding its way into his hair.

"I don't want to hurt you, My Love," his hips stopped, still joined to you but stilled inside of you.

"You wo-won't," you managed to say, despite the pain dulling, you still were tense. You rolled your hips experimentally against his, moaning softly at the friction. "Please, Bucky. I need you to move," you kissed and nipped at his neck. He pushed into you harder, groaning softly as you clenched around him.

Deciding you were now ready, Bucky sped up, his lips sucking harshly at your pulse point, leaving trails of marks. You writhed beneath him, moaning as the coil in your stomach tightened again.

"Gods, you feel so good, y/n/n," he mumbled against your neck. You could feel him throb inside you before he moved again, hitting against your soft spot and making you moan out. Your grip on his hand and hair tightened a fraction, but ever the observant, he noticed, and immediately focused his fast, hard thrusts directly into that spot. You whined softly, rolling your hips on instinct, moaning at the delicious friction.

The coil kept tightening, as did your grip on him, and he moaned out, cursing softly. "Fuck, doll, I'm not sure how long I'll last when you feel like this," you finally opened your eyes, squeezing his hand. He looked like every description of the gods, right above you. Hazelnut locks mused, your hand still gripping onto them for leverage; icy blue eyes warm and inviting, lust and love filled; muscles in his chest rippling as he held himself up and pushed into you; kiss swollen pink lips open as he moaned.

Lost in observing him, you didn't realize he shifted to his knees, now using cold metal fingers to rub circles onto your sensitive bundle of nerves. You cried out, the pressure in your core tightening, making him curse out softly, his pace faltering. You squirmed beneath him, eyes fluttering close again as the sensations overtook you. You moaned out his name in practically a whimper, the same feeling from before starting to blind your other senses to anything but the man in front of you.

"That's it, let go, My Love," he tilted your head up, kissing you deeply, swallowing your loud moans. "Cum for me, My Queen," his gruff voice vibrated against your neck, the demand made your core shiver, the final catalyst to your impending high. Your orgasm hit you hard, making your mouth open in a silent scream, tightening around his length, throbbing against his now warm metal hand. You high pulled him in closer, and he struggled to keep his pace steady as your back arched. Your hand in his hair moved to his shoulder enough to tug him back against you, his metal hand catching himself before he fell on top of you, the necklace you gave him hanging around his neck, the cool silver a striking difference from your heated skin.

As you finally came back down, still tight and throbbing around him, your hand on his shoulder cupped his jaw, tilting him to face you. You could feel him throb inside you, and you kissed his lips gently. "Your turn, My Love. Take what's yours," your ankles locked around his waist, trusting your instincts enough to roll your hips hard against him. "Cum for me, My King," you sucked against his pulse point, proud of yourself as he groaned above you, hips faltering. He came hard, filling you with warmth, making your hips buck against his again. You buried your face into his neck, tasting the salty thin layer of sweat that had gathered, sucking and kissing more marks, claiming him as yours as he rode out his high.

He soon slowed, elbow wobbling, close to falling. You held him close as he shifted over, so you were both on your sides. He gently pulled out of you, the sudden emptiness making you whimper softly as warmth trickled down your thighs. He chuckled, and you opened your eyes to see him smiling beside you. You then realized you were beaming as well. You two laid in silence for a moment, foreheads pressed and simple breathing in the other. Bucky spoke up first, "How was it for you, My Love?"

Your thumb gently grazed the growing bruise he had on his neck, your mark, making you smile warmly. "Absolutely wonderful. Is it always that good?" You were teasing but entirely serious, just one night with him had set your body ablaze, and you craved more, the ache deep in you was a dull pain but was still pleasant. You took deep breaths, trying to catch your breath.

"I'd like to think so. Anyone else I've been with has been good, but you're something else entirely, doll. You sure you're new at this?" He teased, smiling as he kissed your nose. Your resulting scrunched up face made his heart sing.

"I'm entirely sure. Though I can see why everyone likes it so much. Gods, that was incredible," you mumbled, still breathless.

He flashed his usual heart melting charming smile, making you smile faintly. "Thank you, y/n/n," he said softly, serious again. "Thank you for trusting me." He kissed your knuckles at your intertwined hands.

"Bucky," you kissed his forehead, "I love you, and I trust you. With my very life, with my very soul," you buried yourself in his arms, feeling safe and secure.

"We should get cleaned up," he gently tried to pull away, but you clung tighter, eyes droopy and sleep starting to overtake you. He managed to pull away, making his heart sink as you whimpered, chasing after his warmth.

He quickly came back with a warm wet towel, cleaning you off as you nuzzled into the furs of his bed. He set the image to memory, smiling as he watched over you. You, laying on your side nude, curled up into the warmth of his favorite blankets; hair mused around your face like a halo; body practically glowing in the after sex; you were the very definition of every sun goddess he's ever read about. His personal star. He tossed the towel into a hamper, before cleaning up the scattered clothes, piling them on a chair. He glanced towards the conch shell he gifted you, smiling as he laid in bed beside you under the covers. You wasted no time in nuzzling into him, whispering sleepily "I love you." He wrapped his arms around you, your small snores soon filling the room. He closed his eyes, burying himself into your arms, sated and content as he whispered to a sleeping you, "I love you too." Everything falling into place perfectly for the time being. His little piece of heaven.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Times change and the snow begins to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> A sex mention, Minor illnesses, Surprises!, Language, Violence, Blood

As October ended and November began, change frequently occurred in the palace. The furs in your as well as Bucky's chamber got thicker, the candles and firewood got thicker, the trees all looked barren, the only living looking plants were in your new greenhouse. Finished just in time for winter, you walked along the pathway, picking out a new spot for the peonies in your hand, Aurora walking beside you. Your own wolf was still too young to wander the castle with you, but her training was coming along wonderfully. Ever since you and Bucky became one, he had become a bit more protective, if that was even possible. Now, he was in a meeting without you, one of the few nowadays you didn't participate in.

You sat on the ground in the greenhouse, tugging your long sleeves up to plant the flowers. Aurora curled up beside you, the wolf pup had become just as possessive as Bucky, always curled up to one of you, and recently had joined you two curled up in bed at times.

"I thought I might find you here," a familiar voice rang out, you didn't glance back, already well knowing who it was. Aurora whined softly, jumping up to say hello to him.

"It's either here or the library, or one of our beds," you shot back, "not many options with the cold setting in."

Bucky came up behind you, wrapping his arms around you. You happily laid back into his chest, smiling as he spoke. "And here I thought you enjoyed meetings with me," he pressed a kiss to your hair, burying himself into you.

"I do, but I hate meetings involving the diplomats from Hydra's Kingdom. Even defeated they are slimy, uncaring about their starving people." You closed your eyes, leaning your head against his shoulder. "And I can never forgive those monsters for hurting you," you murmured softly.

"I don't enjoy those meetings either, My Love, but sadly they are necessary. Gladly, they are leaving early as the snows are setting in. We believe a snow storm is coming tonight." Aurora curled up beside the two of you, and you ran a hand through her fur. "Your first snow," he added, excitement in his voice.

"My first snow," you closed your eyes in content. "Gods, I'm going to be freezing!"

He chuckled behind you, tightening his hold on you. "I'll keep you warm," he spoke against your neck, goosebumps raising as his breath fanned across your skin, much to his amusement.

"You did promise to keep me warm when I first moved here, I do suppose you've done a good job so far," you teased with a playful grin.

"I'd promise the world for you if you wanted it, My Queen," he kissed your ear, all his kisses chaste and playful. "Speaking of, My Queen, your coronation has to follow Northern traditions, but is there any part of Southern Coronation Traditions you wish to have?" You shrugged faintly against him.

You and your Ladies in Waiting were in charge of planning the wedding, a perfect union between North and South, both rituals relatively similar. Both used handfasting, but the elements in each differed slightly. Silver in the North, Gold in the South. Diamond rings in the North, Pearl rings in the South. These differences also followed in coronations, only they shifted to crowns and robes.

"I don't mind a fully Northern Coronation, My Love. I'll be Queen of the North, not Queen of the South. It may be where I'm from, and it'll always be a part of me, but it isn't where I'll be for the rest of my life." You reminded lightly. You turned slightly, burying your face in his neck. "The wedding, however, is completely half and half," you smiled against his skin, pleased with yourself as he shuddered. "Nat's idea of course. Two becoming one. Two people, two kingdoms, one soul." you pulled away enough to see the smile on his face, his eyes crinkled, sending warmth through your body.

"That sounds wonderful," he gave you a cheeky grin before adding, "My Queen."

You giggled, smiling up at him. "Soon I will be," you kissed his nose, watching his face scrunch up.

"A month and a half, that's all I have to wait for, and you'll be mine forever!" He sounded giddy, tugging you close as you two laughed.

"We've waited since we were children, a month shall go by fast, the past few have." You ran a hand through his hair, watching as he melted against your touch.

"They go by faster with you here. Our whole lives, then forever." He murmured, eyes closing as he relaxed.

"Forever is an awfully long time, Bucket. You sure you're up for the commitment?"

He gave you a goofy smile in response. "Forever is never enough when I'm with you."

You scoffed, "Stop being all romantic, it's making me feel things!" You gently nudged him, unable to hide the smile on your face.

"Good!" He beamed, showering you in kisses as he tightened his grip on you.

-

As the day passed, the two of you walked towards Bucky's Chambers hand in hand, Aurora at your heels. You sneaked a glance behind you, noticing neither of the personal guards were men you knew, and you knew almost all of them. Something felt wrong, a light in the castle seemed to dim. Bucky noticed your turned mood, and your subtle glances taking in the new guards as the wind started to howl outside. Deciding to speak about it later, in private, he didn’t ask.

The two of you sat outside on your star gazing balcony. The storm was starting, snow slowly falling to the ground. You were tightly wrapped in furs and blankets, toasty warm as your nose started to get cold. You ignored it, grinning as you caught the ice on your tongue excitedly.

"It's so pretty!" You grinned at Bucky, pointing at the snow on the mountains which was growing.

He smiled warmly at you, letting you enjoy the cold and different season. He eventually tugged you inside before you could freeze over, "alright, Princess. No more cold for you, you'll get frostbite." He fused over you, pulling more furs and warm clothes on you until you were covered in layers, sitting on his bed.

"Something is going on," you said suddenly pulling blankets off of you, surprising Bucky as he got into bed beside you, Aurora jumping into the bed, laying her head on his stomach.

"What do you mean, My Love?" He gave you a confused look, his eyebrows scrunched up adorably.

"New guards here, and Steve said he also has new guards he's never seen before, and the Hydra diplomats suddenly are very friendly, and the scouts on the edge of the kingdom spotting movement. They are planning something." You concluded.

He sighed softly with a nod, "I've noticed most of that as well. Until they make a move we can't do anything. Their officials may be terrible people, but a war would affect their people, a people starved and already war raged, they’re still recovering."

You leaned your head against his shoulder. "Has anyone told you how amazing you are?" You asked softly.

Despite these people being the ones that hurt him, he didn't want to rage war on its people. "Maybe someone has," he teased, smiling against your hair, taking in the smell of your lavender shampoo.

"Hope it's not any other girl," you joked back, nuzzling into him.

He chuckled, "Even if it was, you're the only one for me," he spoke seriously, tugging you closer.

You let your eyes close, happy to bask in his warmth as well as his and Aurora's attention.

-

The next morning you awoke with an upset stomach. Knots twisting and stabbing into your guts like a knife stabbing into you. You rolled out of the bed, pulling yourself out of warm arms, rushing towards the bathroom. "Doll?" A sleepy Bucky managed to say as you ran off. Two confused yips sounded behind you as you retched in the toilet. Aurora happened to stride over first, whining as she walked over, lying beside you and burying her muzzle supportively in your side. Bucky showed up a split second later, kneeling beside you as he held your hair out of your face, rubbing your back.

Once your stomach managed to empty itself, you sat back on your heels, leaning against Bucky. "Gods, I must have a stomach bug or something," you mumbled, lazily burying yourself in his arms. "I feel gross though, but tired."

"It's still early, we can go to the healers in a little while. You're still sleepy, aren't you?" He kissed your head as you nodded, standing and picking you up in his arms. You hummed in acknowledgement, letting your eyes close as he tucked you back into the warm bed. He pulled a blanket over you, Aurora jumping into bed after you, Bucky holding you close as you fell asleep again in his arms.

-

An hour later you woke to Bucky nudging you gently. "My Love, wake up, we should go to the doctors," he was concerned, you weren't one to get sick easy and you looked pale and flush. You groaned, eventually awake enough to get dressed and following Bucky to the royal clinic.

You sat there, Bucky fussing over you as Dr. Bruce Banner and Dr. Helen Cho circled you. Wanda eventually joined the party, much to Natasha's amusement. All three fused over you. Bruce and Helen had both known you since your arrival months ago and had taken a liking to you, the prior being a former soldier, and Wanda had known you most of your life. Soon all three, plus Bucky fussing, plus Sam and Natasha at the door, it all overwhelmed you.

"Please can all of you calm down for just a minute!" You snapped, all eyes turning towards you as they froze in place. "It’s probably just stress, as I've taken more responsibilities and planning the wedding and worrying about the coronation and the changing seasons, I'm sure I'm fine!" You sighed softly, burying your face in your hands. "Please I feel smothered by you all." You mumbled. Bucky frowned, chancing placing his hand on your shoulder. You melted against his touch, sudden hot tears ran down your cheeks. "Why can't I control any of these emotions?" You whispered absentmindedly.

Unbeknownst to you, Natasha and Wanda shared a look. They both knew everything about you and Bucky's relationship, including that you two had sex about three weeks ago. Natasha shooed the gathering maids from the door, shutting it and sitting beside you, taking your hand. Wanda whispered something to Dr. Cho, who quickly ran some tests on the blood and urine they collected from you.

You sniffled, looking up towards Nat as her weight dipped the bed you were in. "Wanda and I think we know what's wrong," Nat said slowly a few minutes later, looking towards Helen who had walked in with a new paper. Helen nodded, Bruce going pale as he read the results paper. You sat up a bit, hands laced with Bucky's who looked just as confused.

"The mood swings, the morning sickness, the fact that you haven't had your period yet," that made you go pale. You completely forgot you were two weeks late, too caught up in Royal duties. All the symptoms, the sudden giddiness Natasha and Wanda had.

"Am I...?" You whispered, the true nature of it setting in.

Helen spoke up, "According to Urine and blood tests, yes. We'll let you two have a moment," Nat nodded quickly, dragging Bruce and Sam out the door, Helen and Wanda following as they closed the door.

You and Bucky sat in silence for a moment, letting the fact settle in both of your minds. "You're pregnant," he managed to say in a soft voice, though you didn't hear any malice like you might have feared, only awe and a hint of confusion.

"I'm pregnant." You repeated. Deciding to look up at him, you could see the goofy smile starting to lift his features. "I'm going to be a mother... You're going to be a father..." The shock was still there, but both of you started smiling at each other.

"I'm going to be a father," he repeated. He launched forward, showering your face in kisses, sending you into a fit of giggles. "You're going to carry out child, our baby, you're going to be a mother, I'm going to be a father, oh gods can I handle being a father?" He rambled, getting serious.

You gently cupped his face in your hands, kissing him tenderly, stopping his rambles. You pressed your forehead against his, grinning as your lips ghosted across each other. "You'll be a wonderful father. Caring, protective, strong, loving. We'll learn how to be parents together," you kissed him again and again, holding each other close, deciding that the future mattered, but for right now you two would stay in the moment, together.

-

As the week went on, you and Bucky kept the big news to a small few. Clearly Sam, Natasha, Wanda, and a few people in the clinic knew. The maids figured it out when you didn't get your period, already having started their own rumors. The first person you and Bucky told together was Steve, via video chat. He looked ready to slap Bucky for getting you pregnant, cry that he was going to be an Uncle, and proud that his best friend and little sister were living their happily ever after. Your parents knew as well, and your mother was already flooding you with advice that wouldn’t come in handy for months. Other than that, the rest of the whispers and rumors in court were hushed and behind your backs.

You continued to work, though as the week ended, Bucky had started to sleep over in your Chambers. Something in his chamber smelled off, setting your new maternity sense to ring alarms. You couldn't sleep in his bed, a fact you absolutely hated.

Saying goodnight to yet another new guard you didn't recognize, you closed the chamber doors, Aurora jumping into your bed and curling up. You sat beside her after changing into pajamas, ready to bury yourself into the thick furs Bucky added to your bed while another snow storm roared outside. Aurora whined softly beside you, ears perked up and looking around the room in distress.

"What is it Aura?" You whispered, standing and now on defense. Bucky had a late meeting that night and wouldn't join you for at least an hour or two. You had nothing to defend yourself, glancing around the room you noticed nothing sharp you could use to help you with whatever set off Aurora. That was odd, you had a knife letter opener that was absent from your desk. Something that also suddenly occurred to you was that neither Sam, Natasha, Wanda, or Scott was on duty tonight. That never happened in the months since you've moved to the North. A fact that occurred to you too late. You were defenseless, alone, and surrounded by potential enemies.

Aurora growled beside you, haunches raised and glancing in multiple directions. _Fuck_, _multiple hostiles._ The wolf pup stood in front of you protectively, as you thought back to something Natasha used to teach you. Pretend you're smaller and more defenseless than you really are.

As two men appeared from opposite shadows in your room, you appeared to look meek, small. They came closer, still just out of reach of you, or Aurora without leaving the protective circle you and the wolf made. "Look at that, the little princess is all alone." One man cooed. His accent sent a shiver down your spine, you recognized him as a Hydra diplomat from the court.

That's when you got a good look at the other man, and you felt your heart drop. General Brock Rumlow, one of the very men Bucky fought against was standing in your bedroom. "Hello Princess, terribly sorry for the late notice, but you're coming with us. I know all about your fight against the assassin we sent to kill your brother, so don't try anything."

You dropped the meek act and snarled at the man, matching growls with the wolf in front of you. "Now why would I just go with you?"

He laughed, a sick feeling filling you. "Because right now, your little fiancé is next to one of my men. One mistake and my men will slit his throat," you felt your face pale. They could threaten you, but they were threatening Bucky. You felt the strong face you had on crack.

"Don't you dare fucking touch him," you growled, Aurora responding with a bark towards the man. You hoped it was loud enough to alert someone to help you, yet the man in front of you laughed.

"That won't help doggie, all the men outside are mine. You know how easy it was to become your personal guard? Manipulate time schedules, find lab results." Your hands were shaking now, and you felt the bile rise in your throat. "So, Princess, follow me, and call the dog off." You glanced down at Aurora, who was tense, but you then remembered she knew all the secret passageways of the castle and was trained to find yours and Bucky's scent. You whistled lowly, Aurora whining. You repeated it, and Aurora slinked away, rushing towards Bucky. That would set him off, Aurora was known to always curl up into you when you slept and would only part ways when Bucky called her. _He should be able to notice something's wrong. _You hoped and prayed to every god you knew that he did.

You followed Rumlow, the vile man getting too close for comfort as you walked in the halls. He had a sense of arrogance about him, and most hallways were empty, no one able to see you as Brock pushed a dagger into back to dig at your spine, leading you towards the back entrance.

He pushed open the door, the cold rushed in, making you cold to the bone before you even stepped out. He grabbed you by the arm, his grip burned into your skin. He ran his fingers down your throat, and you growled lowly, close to punching the man. The thought of Bucky getting hurt because of the action made you still. No matter how much he hurt you, you wouldn't let him hurt Bucky. His fingers grazed the golden chain of your necklace, and hooked underneath them, "Now this is cute. You practically have a dog collar on, like the bitch you are," he singsonged into your ear. He ripped the necklace off, and you gasped as the clasp snapped against your skin, breaking. He tossed it to the ground, before shoving you forward into the snow. "Let's go, Princess. It's a decent walk till we get back to your new home." You shivered, now on your hands and knees in the snow, your pajamas not helping you at all. You stood on shaky legs, holding your head up high as you bit your tongue, refusing to give this abhorrent man anything to use against you.

You heard barking in the distance, Aurora finding you, and Bucky right behind. He had blood dripping down his cheek, but on second look, it didn't seem to be his own. Sam and Natasha were beside him, Sam had bruises blooming all over his face, and what looked like a broken nose. Brock pulled you in front of him, the dagger held against your throat. You stilled, weighing your options. Bucky looked feral, the same icy look from months ago when he first walked into your life again was back. The warmth seeped out of him, you were in danger, as was the baby, _his_baby.

"Let her go, Rumlow," he snarled, Aurora at his feet, ready to pounce.

"No can do, she's ours now, Your Majesty," he spit back out. He pressed the dagger closer into your neck, making a small trickle of blood appear. You whined softly, Bucky's eyes shooting to you, pained. As Brock pulled you back onto the terrace, you could see more Hydra gaurds hiding behind the doors. It was a trap all along to take more than one royal. Not on your watch they wouldn't.

Your eyes locked into Bucky, knowing he could see you. You mouthed, 'I love you,' before pushing your elbow back. You knocked Brock back, he grunted, not expecting you to fight back. You shot forward, grabbing onto the doors and locking them, knowing the mechanism would need a reboot to open during the emergency alert Bucky had placed on the castle. This was both your saving grace, and your living nightmare. You were trapped, burying yourself in snow, surrounded by Hydra agents, a steel and glass door between you and your family. But that also meant it was that door between Hydra and Bucky, something you could live with. A realization hit you suddenly. You would, without a doubt, die to protect this man. No matter the cost.

To say Rumlow was pissed off at you was an understatement. You saw his reflection in the glass, noticing the mirrored moves between him and Bucky. They both rushed forward towards you, Bucky having a glass barrier between you. Rumlow grabbed onto you, hitting you in the side of the head with the blunt edge of the knife. "You'll regret that, Princess." He snarled into your ear. The last thing you saw as black dots blurred your vision was Bucky falling to his knees on the other side of the glass, as they took you away from him. His own personal Nightmare.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does Hydra need you for their masterplan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Torture, violence, mentions/suggestions of sexual harassment/assault, language, guilty!Bucky, ANGST

You woke up with a dull pain radiating in your head. You tried reaching towards it, but cold harsh metal stopped the movement, pulling a groan from the back of your throat.

"Looks like the Princess is finally up," a familiar voice said just behind your ear. You shuddered, struggling to open your eyes, knowing it was Rumlow. The past night's events slowly came back to you. Bucky had blood on him. Why did he have blood on him? You hoped it was the assassin sent to keep you in line and that Bucky wasn’t hurt.

"Good, she'll do nicely," a new voice joined in, sending a shiver down your spine. Your eyes finally responded to your brain, opening them gingerly to take in your surroundings. The first thing you noticed was how little light there was, and that you were chained up in a metal chair which you saw was screwed to the ground. Then you were flooded with light, making you hiss as your eyes struggled to adjust. You finally were able to look up, you took in the face of your newest captor. You swallowed hard, definitely recognizing the face in front of you. Armin Zola. The man who experimented and tortured Bucky. You felt a snarl grow on your lips, your face showing noticing but pure distaste for the man in front of you. "Ah, you know who I am? Do you know what we'll do to you to get what we want?" You took your chances and spit at his feet, growling up at him. Rumlow laughed behind you, a knife suddenly appearing into your eye line. You tensed, watching their every move.

"You see, it's not all about you, Princess despite ruining our original plan, you still fit perfectly into our new plan. We want the power you hold. One accident and you're suddenly Queen of the South, and even if you're not crowned, that baby inside you is the future ruler of the North. Your Lil ole Brother, and your good fuck buddy Bucky, will both be abdicating their thrones, handing them over to Hydra." The knife came closer and you snarled, baring your teeth at the men as they came closer. Eyes watched you from the shadows, and as the man stepped into the light, you realized it was King Pierce, yet another man you despised.

"It's simple dear Princess. If they refuse, we stab one easy knife into that stomach of yours. Two birds, one knife." You felt your heart drop, your dry throat unable to come up with words to express how much you loathed the men in front of your eyes.

"You're making a mistake," you coughed out, locking eyes with the so-called king in front of you.

The knife flew down, stabbing straight through your palm, making you cry out. You bit your tongue hard, desperate not to show these monsters that they can affect you. You tasted bitter copper as you cut your tongue, holding onto the little self-control you had left. "How so, little princess?" Brock was the one to say it, the words makings you grimace.

It was then that you noticed the small red light of a camera in the shadows. They were recording this. _Of course, they are._You thought, these monsters wanted to torture your family into submission. You looked dead into the red light, coughing up a laugh, "You underestimate them."

Pierce gave off an odd sounding chuckle, like a man who knew he had already won. "What? We underestimating their love for you? That's what we want dear Princess," he nodded to Rumlow, who ran the knife across your collarbones, nicking you slightly with a hiss.

You looked up at the men in front of you, giving off a wicked grin. "No. You underestimate their fury."

-

Meanwhile, up in the mountains, Bucky was pacing around the strategy table in the war room. Aurora paced beside him, whining softly as she sensed his distress. Dark circles under his eyes, hands running through his hair for the millionth time, he looked like an utter mess. Everyone else around the table looked virtually the same.

First thing he had done the second you were gone was trying to run after you. The shattered glass of the door didn’t do anything as he nor Aurora could fit into the steel spaces left by the door, leaving him to watch as they dragged your unconscious body away. Hydra had covered your scent as well as the raging snow storm so not even the wolves could find you. He then practically ripped open a new one with the guards. Most sung like canaries and it was long until he had every undercover Hydra agent in a line, bruised and bloody, one already dead when his wrath got the best of him.

He rung his hands, bruises blooming on his right hand, the hand currently gripping onto the constellation necklace he gave you, the one ripped away from you like you were ripped from him. Now, he and the few people left he trusted, were in the war room. A room left unused in over a year, and one of the only rooms left without your little touch of love. He couldn't stand looking at anything you had done to bring life into the castle, he didn't deserve that love. He only deserved the guilt he felt when he would look at the shattered necklace in his hand and the parchment slip beside it. A broken necklace, his broken promise.

The doors to the room flung open, a beaten-up Sam forgoing formality as Steve walked in, followed by only a few trusted advisors and soldiers. Steve was ready to punch Bucky, but one look at his long-time best friend and he knew he couldn't beat him up, the man was already doing it to himself. He sighed, wordlessly pulling Bucky into his arms, acting like a lifeline to a flailing kite in a tornado.

"We'll get her back, Buck, you know she's strong, she can handle them," he spoke softly, as if speaking to a wounded animal. Most of the people around the table were a little uneasy at the sight, their Kings breaking down in front of them, broken, afraid. Lost.

"I broke my promise, Stevie," Bucky's voice sounded hoarse, hours of tears being held back hiding just beneath the surface.

"We'll get her back, both of them back," the blonde replied, holding the brunette closer as both started to cry.

Bucky pulled away slightly, shaking his head as he managing to open his hand, right beside his broken necklace was his broken promise. Steve recognized it immediately, the distinct parchment used for special occasions in the South, the piece of paper Bucky borrowed from Steve specifically when he told him he wanted to officially court you.

"You didn't just break my promise, you broke your courtship promise," Nat suddenly spoke, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.

He nodded, eyes red with tears, cheeks puffy. "’I promise to protect you, love you, and never let anyone harm you. Until the end of the line, until the day my soul no longer exists,’" Steve quoted in a soft voice, the only other person to have seen the writing.

Shuri, who had came in an hour before Steve and was sitting beside her brother, stood, rage in her eyes. "Then let's get her back, she is the strongest woman I know but she cannot survive forever in those Savage's grip," she slammed her hands onto the table, earning the attention of the four Kings around the table. "We need a plan. There are four Kings in this room, why don't you act like it!"

Prince Loki then spoke up, "I have spies in Hydra's Kingdom, they shall report anything to me, especially a kidnapped Princess."

"My forces are closest to the Hydra Borders, they will defend the border and push their men back, as well as join your forces," T'Challa spoke up.

Steve nodded, "This is an act of war against the South, my men are already gathering together to fight. They will be ready by dusk fall tomorrow."

Nat opened her mouth to speak, before Squire Peter ran in. He looked pale, eyes shot, shaking, holding up a flash drive. "This was just found outside the palace gates, right in a spot we could find."

Wanda shot forward, taking the flash drive. On the opposite side was the red symbol of Hydra, making her shudder. "Let's see what they want," she was terrified. The last time the North had seen a flash drive like this, it had came attached with Bucky's arm, a fact not lost by him as he stared the tiny black device down.

He paled as he saw it, pulling himself from Steve's arms. "Play it. Now." His voice cracked, the only emotion visible in the cold face starting to appear once more.

Shaky hands plugged it into a projector, which lit up in to middle of the table, everyone having a front row seat to what they were doing to you. You sat in some gods-awful metal chair, shivering from the cold, unconscious. Your eyes fluttered, and you reached for your head, only to be stopped by the rusted chains around you. Bucky noticed the dry blood that caked your hair in the exact spot Rumlow had knocked you out, making him start to see red in his vision. Speaking of the dog, his voice rang out just as you groaned softly, _"Looks like the Princess is finally up,"_his face appearing behind yours.

Another voice rang out, _"Good, she'll do nicely,"_and Bucky felt his blood run cold.

"Zola," he mumbled softly, eyes locking onto the image of you in front of him. Steve shuddered beside him, everyone in the room well aware of what that man has done. Your eyes had finally opened, just for Rumlow to hit the switch behind you, making you hiss as you adjusted to the new light. Once you looked up at the man, you snarled, and Natasha cracked a smile, proud of your courage. _"Ah, you know who I am? Do you know what we'll do to you to get what we want?"_You spit at his feet, and Bucky felt a sense of pride fill him, that's _his_girl.

_"You see, it's not all about you, Princess despite ruining our original plan, you still fit perfectly into our new plan. We want the power you hold. One accident and you're suddenly Queen of the South, and even if you're not crowned, that baby inside you is the future ruler of the North. Your Lil ole Brother, and your good fuck buddy Bucky, will both be abdicating their thrones, handing them over to Hydra."_Both men in question shared a look, letting the realization that they just might actually do it to save you set in. Bucky would do it without hesitation, to him, there was no life worth living without you.

As King Pierce stepped into the camera's view, Bucky's grip on the wooden table tightened, the metal of his hand starting to make the wood creak. His flesh hand gripped the necklace and parchment tighter, feeling his heart fall at the next words spoken. _"It's simple dear Princess. If they refuse, we stab one easy knife into that stomach of yours. Two birds, one knife."_Shuri looked over towards Bucky, taking note of the fire starting to burn in his eyes. The cold king of the North was looked ready to kill everyone in his path.

As you spoke, Shuri noticed a crack in the King's composure. _"You're making a mistake." _Steve leaned forward, hanging onto your every word. Wanda visibly paled as they stabbed you, and Natasha could see how hard you were trying to not cry out in pain. Too focused on you, they missed what the men said, only hearing your response. _"You underestimate them."_

You coughed up blood as you spoke, the trickle of red down your lips made Bucky tense. _"What? We underestimating their love for you? That's what we want dear Princess," _Steve felt sick, they were using you only as a means to get to them, he visibly winced as you hissed from the next cut on your body.

_ "No. You underestimate their fury."_Your wicked grin made Natasha smile sadly, she knew you'd hold onto whatever you could to save them, and she knew how stubborn you could be when it came to family.

_"Let's challenge that,"_Zola took a step forward, and everyone in the room tensed. The video couldn't be more than a few hours old so whatever they did to you was already done, but they couldn't look away.

Rumlow ran the knife down your side, cutting away the fabric, leaving you in tatters, barley covering your skin. He pressed the knife harder, and you shut your eyes on the screen, visibly shaking as the knife cut into you. This went on for almost twenty minutes, simple cuts and knife jabs, determined to simply tease you and whoever was watching. You bit your tongue, hissing out loud only when Zola stabbed a syringe into your neck. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head, as blue liquid dripped out of your nose and eyes and mouth as you passed out. _"How long do you think my patience will last, before we have our way with the precious princess? Such a shame she's already pregnant, my men would probably love a turn with her,"_Rumlow knelt, the camera now directly staring into his eyes. _"This is only the beginning Barnes. We'll break her, just like we broke you." _The screen went black, the room quiet.

The wood splintered around Bucky's hand, shattered as his anger got the best of him. He had a growl building in the back of his throat, deep in his chest. Every knife flick, every word uttered, every second they had you, he felt his fury grow. He knew, without a doubt, he would kill them for even thinking they could touch you.

-

It was a week. At least you think it was a week. Time was hard to tell when you weren't able to move from your cell, which was dark, cramp, damp, and had no windows. They would tie you down and force an IV into you every few days, barley keeping you alive. A bucket in the corner was the only place to relieve yourself, and as the days went on, you started using your own pajamas as bandages for your major wounds. Two stab wounds, multiple cuts and scrapes, your wounds weren't as terrible as you thought they would be. You knew you had the beginnings of a concussion, having seen similar symptoms in others before, but what worried you was the electric blue liquid they pumped into your veins. It made your veins burn, like a fire coursed through them. It kept you weak and dazed, and to your displeasure, they would pump it into you every other day. Of course, you were bothered by the pain of it, but your instincts only flooded to one thing. Protect. Protect the baby inside you and protect the man they could have grabbed instead. You figured they needed the baby in you to have a claim to the North, so they wouldn't hurt it. But your nutrients were dwindling, everything you had was being sucked up by the life growing in you. You wouldn't be able to fight back soon enough.

As time went on, they tortured you more. One sharp punch to the face and you think you had a black eye. You knew they were recording every time they strapped you to that chair. You only clung to the thought of Bucky one day coming through that door, ending the misery you were in. You clung to your family, your parents who always had the best intentions yet we're a little confused as to how to act upon it. Natasha, Wanda, Sam, even Tony and Clint. Your brother, who was probably getting ready to fight all of Hydra by himself. And then, Bucky. Your Bucky. That's the thought that made you smile. How angelic he looked in the early morning, hair mused, body calm, peaceful. His giddy smile when you accepted the conch shell from him, you smiling back when you placed it on his desk. His dorky smile when Aurora and Rainecurled up against you one night by the fire. His groans as you tugged on his hair playfully. The charming smile you could see in the mirror as he learned how to braid your hair with the metal hand. Lounging and naming stars with your own goofy nicknames just to hear him laugh. _Yeah_, you thought. _Him_. You'd cling onto him. Your own Northern Star.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Bucky and Steve find you? Will you escape?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific warnings:
> 
> Torture, violence, language, ANGST, blood, injuries, major and minor character death, GORE, a hint of fluff

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since you had shut those stupid doors to save him. Bucky had become a shell again, cold lifeless eyes, the only emotion that would show being anger. Steve hadn't seen him like that since his parents died. Steve had already told everyone that when it came down to it, fight, survive, and stay out of Bucky's way. He knew his best friend would tear into anyone that got in his way. Aurora and Raine had also been getting restless, as had Dermot. They knew something was up, as they hadn't seen you in weeks.

The troops from multiple kingdoms were ready and had started pushing Hydra forces back out of their own respective counties, but they couldn't figure out where they had taken you. New flash drives showed up, and Bucky watched every single one, letting the guilt wash over him as he saw them hurt you. Steve sat beside him, feeling guilt despite not even being in the same country when they took you. _No. When you let them take you_.Steve knew you better than that. He knew you must have seen something for the rash decision, and his suspicion was confirmed by Natasha after both Kings broke down in the War Room. "Seeing her scream again isn't going to do anything, Buck," The blonde looked towards his best friend, both sharing an equally pained look. _Torturing yourself won’t help you._He wanted to say, but he knew better.

"There's literally nothing to do. I watered the plants in her greenhouse, so they wouldn't die. Checked in on Raine and Aura and Dermot, all three aren't doing well without her. Troops are ready to move the second we need them too, but we don't have a location. I'm missing something in these, I know it. They changed locations again and these videos are more recent. I'll figure it out." His eyes locked into the figure of you on the screen, this time with a knife being pressed into your side, dangerously close to your stomach. As you screamed in pure agony, Bucky felt his heart drop, and yet he re-watched the video, over and over and over again.

Steve paused the video, sighing, exhausted from the lack of sleep. "Is there anything else, any clue she could have left?" He could see the flashes of emotions running through Bucky’s face. The guilt, shame, grief, fury, then finally a small glimpse of hope.

Bucky saw something. It was random, small and unnoticeable, but the way you tapped your fingers against the metal chair looked familiar. He gasped, clawing out of the chair and pressing play on the remote as he ripped it from Steve's hands. His eyes bore into your fingers, and Steve saw his friend smile for the first time in weeks. "Gods, she's an absolute genius!" He cried out, already shooting a text in the group chat for everyone to meet in the War Room.

Steve looked up at him, confused, "Care to explain?"

Nat was the first through the door, Wanda and Sam at her heels just as Bucky started to write out letters on a piece of paper. Steve moved beside him, and it clicked. "Morse code!" The room started to fill with the diplomats, Shuri glancing through the other videos to see you tapping more messages.

"She picked up a Morse code book in October, I knew she was learning but gods she picked it up fast," Bucky mumbled, rushing through an explanation. You had been giving them any information you realized, all through taps against the very chains that binded you. It was then Scott ran in, another flash drive in hand. Everyone in the room paled as they saw it, they knew their deadline to a decision was rapidly approaching.

Scott plugged the drive in, not waiting for instruction to start the video. You looked absolutely terrible still, yet with the new revelation of your secret messages, Bucky didn't focus on your new wounds, but the taps your fingers were giving. You were in a new space, and the video looked recent by the stages the bruises on your body were in.

Bucky scribbled out the last letter, just as the video started to replay. He stopped it, a wicked grin lighting up his features. "Call the troops to arms, I know exactly where they have her." Aurora looked up from her spot by the fire, sensing Bucky's mood shift as her ears perked up. "That is one spot they had me. She found my scratches on the cell wall, I used to draw on the cell walls to pass time, and she has been tapping exactly what place she's in." He tossed the paper in the middle of the table. The words spelt out 'Second Star 2 the Right.' At second glance to every paper written there they all had a description of some engraving written in them.

"So, who's coming to fight?" Steve spoke up; it was obvious both he and Bucky would be going. Natasha, Wanda, and Sam all stood at the same time. Choruses of "Me," "I will," and an enthusiastic "Lets kick Hydra's butt!" From Tony, all present at the table stood, ready to fight.

Aurora yipped, standing beside Bucky, he rubbed her ears, "Let's bring her home, Aura."

-

It was dark, that's all you really knew. A new cell, this one was a bit nicer than most others, because you knew something your captors didn't. You ran you hand against the wall, finding the two stars carved into the stone, it made you smile. Second star to the right and straight on ‘till morning. Bucky's favorite story as a child was Peter Pan, and even in the face of torture, he clung onto the story. And Hydra, in their sick and twisted minds, thought it would be perfect to toss you into the cage that once held your fiancé.

Rumlow stormed in, and you winced from the sudden influx of light. "Let’s go princess," he dragged you up, roughly grabbing onto your shoulder. You limped as you were hauled, being pushed in front of him and now in front of Alexander Pierce. His hand clamped onto your arm, jerking you in front of him as he pressed a dagger to your stomach. As someone pounded onto the door, you realized you just became a human shield. Metal hit against the metal door and your heart jumped up to your throat. Bucky.

The door finally gave way, blowing straight off its hinges. Bucky stood there, in a navy-blue uniform stained in red, you realized a second later he was wearing his Howling Commandos uniform. He wanted to be seen from a mile away. Growling brought your attention to the white wolf at his feet. Aurora had blood coating her snow-white fur, her haunches back, and golden eyes focused onto the knife against you. Steve was right behind Bucky, but you could only tell that due to the red and blue of his uniform reflecting off of Bucky's metal arm.

"Well I'd say this is a lovely reunion, but my dead men outside would beg to differ," Rumlow spoke just behind you, using you as a shield as well. They must have been caught off guard, neither men that held you had a gun, unlike the two men at the door.

"Let her go, and I'll kill you both quickly," Bucky growled, voice low, teeth bared. This was a side of Bucky you'd only heard the stories of. The Winter Soldier, The White Wolf. Cold, calculating, lethal. He looked every part like the fearsome feral wolf coming to exact revenge like in the stories you two used to read when you were younger about his Kingdom’s mythologies.

The knife dug a little deeper into your side, making you gulp faintly. Bucky’s eyes glanced towards it for a split second before shooting back at your captors. The blue in his eyes looked more like ice than normal, and that’s when you started to fully take him in. The slight puffiness in his cheeks, dark sunken circles around his eyes, his chestnut hair grown out a bit more, a gruffy beard back in place. He had not been taking care of himself in your absence. You wanted to rush forward and hold him, tell him you were alright, that he was alright, that everything would be okay. Yet the dagger against your womb held you still, the silent threat enough to give you pause. It wasn’t just you anymore, you would have to be more careful than reckless.

“I’m not a fool, you killed every last man outside. We, and the Princess will be leaving. I don’t know how you found us, but the rest of my armies are on their way. Try anything and my hand just might slip.” Pierce’s voice made you wince, the vibrations as he held you against his chest made your stomach turn.

“I told them,” you spat out, a wicked grin curling your busted lip up. You looked a little worse for wear, and you were terribly faint, the man behind you having to practically hold your weight just to keep you standing, but you were not helpless. A week into your torture is when you finally found your escape route, and promptly planned for this exact moment. You weren’t foolish enough to believe it would be easy, however, you knew you could use a few things to your advantage. Surprise, adrenaline, and your own will to survive.

“What do you mean you told them? You’ve been chained up in a cell the past two weeks!” Rumlow sounded off, the surprise in his voice was not hidden well.

You managed a weak chuckle, your voice hoarse from weeks of screaming and crying and pain yet you pushed that away to increase your breathing. “You didn’t just underestimate them,” Your heart rate was increasing, the steady beat turning erratic as your heart practically pounded against your chest. Your vision tunneled as your pupils dilated, your body tensing like a viper about to strike. This wasn’t just a fight for your own survival, but a fight to save the life growing in you. To save your family.

Bucky, ever the observant, was practically on the same wavelength as you. He had a wicked smirk on his lips, pride running through his eyes as you two locked eyes; he watched as you kicked your knees out from under you. Already weak from lack of food or water and the torture, it was easy to fall onto your knees, ignoring the searing pain that radiated up your knees from hitting the concrete hard, your thin clothes given to you by Hydra did nothing to protect you. The movement caught Pierce off guard, and he went tumbling forward as he tried to catch you to shield himself, eyes wide as the momentum made him topple over. In his haste to catch you and then catch himself before he fell onto his face, he dropped his dagger. He fell right onto his knees, and right in front of Bucky and staring down the bared teeth of a wolf.

You lurched forward, grabbing the dagger and you didn’t hesitate to throw it blindly behind you. It sunk into Rumlow’s thigh with a sick gush of blood. He yelped in surprise, tripping backwards onto his ass. You smirked, tired and in pain, but now so close to freedom. “You also underestimated me.”

Pierce growled, reaching to grab onto you before he was pulled up by his collar by Bucky. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” His wolfish smile set with the timbre of his gruff voice sent a shiver down your spine. If you weren’t already on your knees, you’d probably fall onto them anyway at the sound of his voice. Pierce was tossed onto the floor, Bucky taking a tentative step towards you as Steve grabbed onto Pierce, both men looking at the disgraced king with disgust and pure malice. He couldn’t be killed right away; his death would have to wait until the newly dubbed Avengers outside knew what to do with the rest of the Hydra lands and it’s starving people.

Your knees buckled, the rush of fight-or-flight leaving your system, the adrenaline parting, causing your body to speed up again. You fell forward onto your hands, still dazed as your vision blurred. Bucky rushed forward but he was too slow, still a few steps away from you as Rumlow lurched towards you, recovering from the shock of the dagger still lodged into his thigh. A low growl set off as you saw a flurry of white launch at the man. His screams echoed in the room as Aurora ripped into the hand that came too close to you, and as you looked over you could see the blood gushing from his wrist, and you knew the pale white splotch in the wound was his exposed bone, splintered as wolf teeth gnawed into it. You placed a hand on Aurora’s hide, the wolf instantly releasing her death grip on the now defenseless man to sit beside you with a whimper. You wrapped your fingers around the dagger in Rumlow’s thigh, turning it, a revolting sense of satisfaction filling you as he howled in pain. “You are all idiots. I’ve been sending them messages through Morse Code for a week, and you were too busy getting yourself off to small cuts in my skin to even notice. You may have weakened me, but I’m a phoenix princess, and when I’m reborn through the ashes, I’ll be the Wolf Queen.” You twisted the dagger once more, snarling as the man looked up at you in shock and horror.

“Why wait, Princess? You could have killed us all before we pumped that blue stuff in you to weaken you.” Rumlow tried to put on a brave face, but he trembled, seeing you flash him a wolfish grin, the ice in your eyes as you regarded him as he clung to his bleeding and barley attached right hand.

“There are a thousand men outside these walls. I am not foolish enough to believe I could have fought them all, so instead, I out smarted you all.” With the last bit of your strength, you yanked the dagger lodged into his thigh out, blood spurting out instantly. You tilted you head, watching the blood pool around him, you had hit his femoral artery. “You’ll die. Alone, afraid, with no one to help you. Just like how your own people die every day in your kingdom.” You swallowed, your dry throat made the words hoarse, but you still spoke, letting revenge and anger cloud your mind. Your mind finally caught onto sanity just as Rumlow’s body hit the floor, his life seeping away from him. The dagger clinked against the concrete as it fell from your hands, blood coating the thin fabric around you that left little to the imagination, blood dripping down your hands. The still somewhat sane part of your mind felt sick that you could kill this man that lay dying on the ice-cold ground. Yet, you made your peace with it. It was necessary. It was survival.

Slowly, the clouds in your mind dispersed, becoming aware of the wolf whose head was in your lap, feeling the vibrations of her whining softly to get your attention. Big arms were around your shoulders, filling your chest with warmth and love. Bucky. Your Northern Star. Slowly regaining your senses one by one, your hearing was next, hearing Aurora’s whines as you ran your blood-soaked hands through her fur without thought, hearing Bucky’s words in your ear. He sounded pained, relieved, joyful even as he whispered pet names and sweet nothings. “Y/n/n? Doll? Come back to me, My Love.” That was the catalyst to the rest of your senses flooding you.

Bucky came back into focus, hands moving to cup your face gently. You could see the fresh wave of tears in his eyes as he looked at you like you hung the very moon in the sky every night. You could taste the cooper of blood in your mouth as you licked your dry lips, salt from your own tears made you realize you were crying as well.

You could smell the metal and blood and gun powder off of him, and something else. It was faint, but you could smell a hint of your favorite cologne on him. That sent more tears careening down your cheeks; he was here. He was really here. His smile lit up his face, seeing the recognition and life glimmer back into your eyes. “There’s my girl. My Queen, My Love, My World, My Star” his voice broke, and despite the weariness pulling at your bones, you pressed your hand against his cheek. The faint move smeared blood onto his cheek, but he leaned into your touch, letting his eyes close as he gathered the courage to move or speak again. “Let’s bring you home, doll,” he whispered softly against your palm. “Both of you,” he added, his flesh hand resting against your stomach.

In a swift move he picked you up bridal style. Frail, you couldn’t even cling onto him. You felt pathetic, but you didn’t really care, you were finally safe. Burying your face into his chest sent a warmth through you, making you smile dimly. “I love you,” you murmured quietly, now safe, your mind was at ease, tugging you towards the sleep that had evaded you for weeks.

“I love you too.” He kissed your head with pure adoration, clinging onto you as his life depended on it. You fell asleep easily in his arms, finally coming home. You didn’t see as he stepped over more than one mangled corpse on his way out, Steve right behind him tugging a tied up and frankly terrified Pierce. Aurora stayed at Bucky’s heels, never straying as they left the building.

Pierce glanced to the side, managing to see the corpse of Zola. Even dead his face was frozen in fear, his neck and chest a bloody mangled mess of deep gashes. Some looked clean cut, a sword perhaps, but the ripped-out throat was too rough to be done with a knife or sword. No, that was the wolf. The fact that the men that did that all for the woman in Bucky’s arms, the very woman that just killed his commanding officer as if it was child’s play, were currently dragging him away made the disgraced king shudder. He realized his fate was sealed the day he ordered his men to take you. He realized that mistake too late.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of it all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Mentions of injuries/torture, fluff, smudge of angst, mention of a panic attack

There were a few things you knew were certain. That every day the sun would rise in the East and set in the West. That every night, if the skies were clear, you could name the constellations set in the sky. That your favorite constellation, secretly, was the same one that was around your neck until Rumlow broke your necklace. That your favorite flowers were the ones Bucky helped you first plant in your greenhouse. That you didn’t mind the cold because it meant Bucky would hold you closer and wrap you in blankets while drinking hot cocoa. That no matter what, you absolutely loved Bucky. And that that insistent beeping you could hear was utterly annoying.

Just on the edge between consciousness and unconsciousness, the beeping sped up faintly, and you realized it echoed the beat in your chest. You groaned softly, the dull pain registering as your body starting to connect with your mind. Straining to open your eyes, you felt the furs of your favorite blanket wrapped around you, you could smell your favorite oils that Wanda would use in your hair. Then the scent of Bucky’s cologne surrounded you, making you unconsciously smile weakly. Bucky’s bed. You were in Bucky’s bed.

The shuffling beside you captured your attention, your eyes struggled to focus on the figures beside your bed. Bucky caught your attention first, you numbly realized his hand was laced with your right hand. Steve was sitting on your other side, his hand laid on top of your wrist lightly, a bandage wrapped around that hand. They both didn’t look away from you for a second, scared that if they looked away you would disappear again. They both still looked grimy and tired, dark circles and longer hair then when you last saw each of them. At least they both looked like they took a shower.

“You two look like hell,” you joked in a raspy voice. The tension was thick in the room, your comment making the men relax ever so slightly; you squirmed faintly, uncomfortable as you attempted to sit up.

Bucky shot forward, his right hand pressed to your stomach, his left on your shoulder, “No, no, you shouldn’t be sitting up now, y/n/n.”

Groaning, you shook him off, sitting up, ignoring the pain shooting through your body. “I feel like I was hit by a train,” you mumbled, before your hand flung to your stomach, the past two weeks flooding into your memory.

Steve saw the panic rush your face, “You’re home, and the baby is okay. Dr. Cho gave you an ultrasound to check and everything.” His clarification calmed you, before you gently laced your hand with Bucky’s.

“I want to know everything, don’t keep me in the dark about what happened,” your voice was clearer now, locking eyes with Bucky.

“My Dove, you don’t want to know everything we did-“ He started, but you promptly shut him with a glare.

“I killed Rumlow. I know of everything those monsters did to both of you, I want to know everything else. Is Pierce dead? Is Zola dead? What will happen to the people of their kingdom? How long was I asleep? Is Aura okay?” You started to ramble, your dry throat decided to close up, making you cough. Bucky rushed forward and helped you drink water, soothing your throat.

“Stubborn,” Steve teased, smiling sadly at you as his thumb rubbed circles onto your wrist. “We’ll tell you, but please relax.”

You sighed softly, nodding as you laid back down. “Well? Go on,” you squeezed Bucky’s hand.

He gave you a small smile in response, “You’re incredible, y/n/n,” he spoke softly, hesitant to speak towards you. He looked like the man he was a few months ago, scared to tell you his nightmares, afraid you would run away from the monster he was. Truth was, he was petrified of what you would think. He broke his promise. Nevertheless, he continued. “Your messages were the reason we could even find you. Zola’s dead, Pierce is in a cell until he signs off his kingdom, which will be renamed, and we are trying to find a new ruler for it, and you’ve been asleep all night and most of the day. Aura is fine.” You spared a glance towards the clock, seeing it was almost 3 in the afternoon. “You were given an IV, bandaged, and your wounds cleaned. Luckily nothing got infected, I don’t know what we would have done if we didn’t notice your codes. You were gone for two weeks! And gods, you’re a genius for the codes, and it took me so long to realize it, and it’s my fault you were even taken, and-“

“Bucky,” you interrupted, squeezing his hand. “I chose to be taken.”

It was apparently Steve’s turn to interrupt, “Why would you do that?” 

You sighed softly, worrying your bottom lip, “He cornered me in my room, he said there was already an assassin who could hurt Bucky, so I sent Aura. Then at the balcony, there were more guards behind the doors. If you came closer, they would have taken you too. I made a choice. I don’t blame you for my own decisions.” 

That seemed to satisfy Steve, who stood, “Well, you’re home now, so I’ll let you two catch up then.”

You tugged on his sleeve weakly with your injured hand, halting his movements to leave. “I missed you, Stevie,” you gave him your best ‘I’m your baby sister’ voice.

He turned back around, letting you tug him into a careful hug. He held you close, making sure not to put any pressure on your still injured body, careful of the wires attached to you. “I missed you too, y/n/n,” he murmured softly, sighing softly before pulling away from your arms. “Catch up, I’m staying until after your coronation anyway, so I’ll be around,” he teased, kissing your head. You gave him your best reassuring grin as he walked out the door, leaving you and Bucky alone.

“I also missed you, every day,” you whispered, looking back towards Bucky. You let yourself take it all in, the past two weeks felt like a blur.

“You did it to protect me?” his voice broke, making your heart drop. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I love you. I’d do anything to protect you, especially from those monsters.” You gently cusped his jaw in your hand, and despite the voice in his head, he leaned into your touch, desperate for the comfort. 

“I’m not worth your life, My Dove, I’m not worth anything.” You gasped softly, tugging him closer.

“James Buchanan Barnes, you don’t need your father’s name, or to slay every dragon to be worth something. You’ve done enough, you are enough. You deserve some happiness of your own, My Love.” You finally had him close enough to kiss him. He keened for your kiss, not hesitating to push himself closer to you. One more tug and he found himself practically on top of the bed; you deepened the kiss, sucking on his lower lip, proud of yourself as he groaned softly. He held himself at an angle to not hurt you as he kissed you senseless.

You both broke the kiss, breathless, and he grinned like an idiot. “I think I’ve found it in you, My Queen,” he whispered softly, letting his eyes close as he pressed his forehead against yours. “I was so scared, watching you just being taken, and how were you so brave?”

“I was terrified,” you admitted, letting yourself finally feel everything you were ignoring for two weeks. Tears started to prick at your skin, your sniffling made him open his eyes. Disregarding his own problems, he held your face gently, frowning as he wiped your tears away. He got into the bed with you, letting you bury yourself in his arms, the flood gate opening. “I felt so helpless, but I didn’t focus on them, or the pain. I focused on coming back home, coming back to you.” You smiled, a wet giggle escaping your lips. “You’re my Northern Star, Bucket,” he felt his heart break at your words; only wanting to see you smile, he showered you in kisses as he murmured pet names and sweet nothings.

“My strong, intelligent, beautiful, amazing Queen,” he murmured. You buried your head into his chest, letting yourself break down.

“They made me feel dirty, used,” you closed your eyes, blocking out the painful memories, “They barely touched me, and yet…” you shuddered, “I couldn’t stop them.” 

“None of that was your fault, My Love,” he gently pushed a strand of hair out of your face and behind your ear, tenderly holding your face in his hands. “You did absolutely wonderful. You’re absolutely wonderful.” He smiled sadly, sniffling as he let his own tears fall. “I missed you so much.” 

You held yourself even closer, desperate for his comfort, “I missed you even more,” you smiled faintly, letting yourself finally break down in the only place you felt safe. He simply held you tighter as you cried into his shoulder, kissing your head lovingly.

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” you smiled warmly.

“I don’t doubt that for a second,” you teased, relaxing in his arms. You let the moment pass, the two of you silent in each other’s arms, just wanting to reassure yourselves that you two were really there, that this wasn’t some dream. “Steve said you guys did an ultrasound?” you whispered softly, moving your head slightly to look at him.

He nodded, picking up an envelope from the bedside. “Dr. Cho said the baby was perfectly healthy, that the mysterious blue liquid they kept giving you was a mix of hormones and chemicals to keep you week, sluggish, like the opposite of an adrenaline shot. It didn’t hurt the baby though, and she told me not to open this until you were awake and responsive.” He handed you the envelope, which you opened quickly. “Didn’t give me much hint as to why,” he mumbled, watching you open it.

You pulled the small picture out, an ultrasound. The baby was only a small dot on the grainy picture but that’s not what caught your attention. You gasped softly, looking up at Bucky, how just look plain confused. “Do you see that, My Love?” you asked gently, squeezing his hand lightly.

He shook his head, “Dots? And numbers?”

You giggled, smiling up at him as you took his hand. You pointed at one small circle, “Baby 1,” then you moved your hand to another small circle beside the first. “Baby 2,” You spoke softly, pulling the small parchment that was also in the envelope, Dr. Cho’s writing simply telling you what you already figured out. “Twins, Bucky. We’re having twins.” 

Amused, you watched his eyes widen, taking in the new information. “Twins?” he whispered softly. You nodded, grinning as you saw his smile grow. “We’re having twins!” He launched at you in a hug, setting you off in a fit of giggles. “Gods! Twins!” He mumbled against your skin, and you buried yourself closer. 

“Definitely going to need some help. We’re going to have two mini-us running around soon enough, and I could barely deal with you and Steve when we were younger. How can I deal with two us?” you started to ramble.

Bucky simply placed his hands to cup your jaw, effectively shushing you. His smile crinkled his eyes, and you couldn’t help but get lost in his eyes like you had wanted to for weeks. “I’ll be there to help, My Love. We can do this. They will be absolutely perfect,” he kissed your nose playfully, chuckling as you scrunched your face up in response.

“You’re going to spoil them rotten, aren’t you?” You teased, smiling up at him as you leaned into his touch.

The hand that you weren’t leaning against moved to your stomach. “Without a single doubt,” he teased back, his fingers tracing patterns into the fabric above your stomach. “And you are also getting spoiled rotten, My Love. I have two weeks to make up for, Courtship-wise, and it starts the second you are clear to leave this bed.” His mischievous smile was back, and you were a bit nervous as to what he was planning.

You buried yourself into his arms again, yawning faintly as you closed your eyes, nodding. “Can’t wait,” you teased, voice dying as you easily fell asleep in his arms. Safe, content. Home.

-

Turns out, it was about a week and a half until Dr. Cho let you leave your bed for more than small exercise or bathing or food. Most of your bruises were faded, almost completely gone; the smaller cuts only had pink scars left to heal; the small fractures in your bones were almost completely healed over; and the worst of your injuries, the stab wound to your hand, was only a bad scab still healing over now. It was more for the babies’ health and keeping you hydrated and well-fed than anything. You were dehydrated, and malnourished, all your vital nutrients going directly to the fetuses growing in you for the two weeks you were held captive. But now you were alright, and _finally_cleared to roam the castle again.

You noticed the difference immediately. Bucky, most likely with some help, had been upkeeping the flowers in your greenhouse, as well as the rest of the castle. The only guards near you anymore were the ones you’ve trusted for years, no more new guards. Aurora and Raine and Dermot were all excited to see you – Raine having practically tripled in size since the last time you saw the pup.

Life wasn’t perfect right now, and there was more than one slip up, including the other day when a loud noise outside your room that sounded so similar to your former cell door being slammed shut caused you to have a panic attack. Despite both you and Bucky having backward steps in your mental health, you always leaned on each other. The more you confided in him with what Hydra did when the cameras were off, the more he was upset he killed them all so quickly. 

But it was over now. The former King Pierce signed away his kingdom, and after much debate, it was given to Lady (now Queen) Brunnhilde. Formerly of Asgard, and one of the Valkyrie warriors that fought in the War, the Avengers council thought she would be a good Queen for the masses. Tough, yet with a gentle heart. Plus, she would have the help of Asgard and the rest of the Kingdoms, whenever needed. Once that was official, the executioner, Nick Fury, took great pleasure in killing Pierce. You found that a bit archaic, the idea of the South’s favorite executioner killing the man, but it was a more humane death than the one Natasha told you Bucky had suggested. Release him into the woods and let the wolves hunt him down. With Hydra dead, your own people joyful for your return, and everything set for the winter, you and Bucky focused on the wedding as well as your coronation. And that’s where you currently found yourself.

A new snow storm had settled into the mountains surrounding the castle, and you were in the kitchen, sitting on the counter, waiting patiently and reading. Bucky looked a mess, covered in flour and icing, trying to perfect another Southern cake for you. He wanted to make the cake for the wedding, although you knew despite his best attempts, he wouldn’t be able to make a cake for the hundreds of royals, nobles, and commoners that were planning on attending. He wouldn’t let you see the cake, quite yet, very adamant that he wanted to perfect it first before he let you try it. His brows were furrowed, eyes crossed in concentration as he frosted his latest attempt. He groaned in frustration, tossing the icing bag aside. “What’s wrong, My Love?” you put down the book you were reading, now focused on the upset king in front of you.

“I messed up,” he murmured in a soft voice, looking closer to a kicked puppy than the 6-foot man he was.

“Aw, that’s alright, My Love, I’m sure it’s fine,” you coed softly, tugging him closer, ignoring the mess of flour on his apron. He leaned his head onto your shoulder, wrapping his arms around your waist, standing in between your legs. You wrapped your legs around his hips, locking your ankles together, running your fingers through his hair. “You’re doing wonderful, Buck, I’m sure it’s a barely noticeable mistake.”

“I want it to be perfect though,” he whined softly, making you chuckle.

“You made it and you tried your hardest. That’s what counts,” you pulled him back enough to tilt his head up to look you in the eye. “It doesn’t need to be perfect to be marvelous.” He smiled faintly, looking up at you as if you hung the stars in the sky. “There’s that smile I love so much,” you teased before leaning the last inch in and kissing him soundly on the lips. Firm yet gentle, everything yet never enough. You smiled against his lips, pressing your forehead against his. Recently your kisses always ended like this. Wrapped in each other’s arms, Bucky’s hand protectively on your stomach, and you two grinning like idiots. 

“I think I should leave the baking to the professionals for the wedding,” he whispered softly, his breath fanning across your lips as you stayed close to him.

“That sounds like a smart decision, My Love,” you teased, unable to wipe the smile off of your face. “Wouldn’t want you too worked up before the ritual.” You kissed him chastely, before he was the one to smile.

“That reminds me, I have something for you.” He pulled away, that charming smile back on his lips. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two velvet boxes, a longer rectangular one, and a small cube shaped one. You gave him a playful look, having told him hundreds of times that he didn’t have to get you anything, but after the whole Hydra deal, you decided to let him pamper you for the next few weeks. “Don’t give me that look, this one I already know you’ll love,” he teased, opening the rectangular box. Inside was the constellation necklace Rumlow had ripped off of you, the one you thought had been lost forever. “Thought you might want it back, My Love,” he whispered softly.

Smiling excitedly, you tugged him into another kiss, more passionate and hungrier than the last. You broke away for a second, “I didn’t even know you had found it, I thought it was gone forever, lost in the snow.” You admitted softly, leaning against him as you let him put the necklace in its rightful spot around your neck. 

“When you were gone, it was one of the few things I could look at of yours without going crazy. Took me a while to fix it, the clasp and some parts of the chain were broken, but here it is,” he grinned, and you noticed the ticks he had when he was nervous start to flare up as he fiddled with the smaller box in his hand.

“And what’s that, My Love?” You asked softly, tenderly running your thumb across his cheek. 

“Well, I know our cultures are different, but there’s one tradition that we haven’t quite done, and I know it’s less important in the South, but I still wanted to do it, though here in the middle of the kitchen looking like a mess is hardly the way you deserve-” you could practically see the cogs turning in his head, the rant spilling from his mouth.

“Bucky,” you whispered softly, pulling his attention back to you. “Just show me.”

He nodded, hesitantly pulling away from your arms. He tugged you to your feet, tenderly pushing a strand of hair behind your ear, making you blush. “Y/n,” he started, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “I’ve been in love with you since we were children, before I even knew the meaning of forever, I knew I wanted to be by your side for the rest of my life, for forever. Whether that was as your friend, a confidant, or as your husband, I knew I wanted to desperately be with you in any way you would allow me. Now, I know how right younger me was. I crave you in every sense of the word, your very touch grounds me to this world yet sends me to heaven every time. You are my guide, my way back home because _you _are my home. My Love, My Queen, My Northern Star, will you do me the absolute blessing of being your husband, and marry me?” By now he had opened the box as he sunk to one knee, showing you a diamond ring in the velvet box. It was a starburst floral diamond, surrounded by a halo of diamonds as well.

You felt your breathing hitch, your hand covering your mouth. You couldn’t think of a proper reply, so you let your first thoughts be your response. “I thought I had already agreed to that, My Love?” you mumbled, letting a smile overtake your lips.

“Is that a yes?” he shot back, his responding nervous smile made your heart flutter.

“Of course, it is!” You lunged at him, attacking him in a hug, which sent both of you tumbling to the ground. You were both laughing, grinning at each other like idiots as he placed the ring on you, before eagerly kissing you again. And again. And again. Covered in flour and icing, on top of each other on the kitchen floor, smiling at each other. It was perfect. It was home.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More aftermath, and the wedding!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> pure fluff, mention of violence but like barley

A week. In exactly one week it would be the winter solstice and you would be marrying the love of your life. The currently very protective, slightly overbearing love of your life. Now that you were back in his arms, Bucky never seemed to want to let you go. As the winter set in, the small flurries shifted to heavy snow, and most of the nobles who would be attending your wedding were already in the castle. It was lively, always busy, and full of life. A stark difference to the dark halls that greeted you when you first arrived months ago. 

Despite being pregnant, you still worked. Acting as future Queen, you were almost always alongside Bucky working on business for the kingdom. Due to your pregnancy, your own mother, Natasha, and Wanda were fussing over you any chance they could.With the wedding only getting closer you were, you were also acting as a caretaker, making sure every wedding guest from the surrounding kingdoms was welcome and warm, most not used to the chilling cold. You made sure to thank many of these people you encountered while you were running around seeing as most made up the group who helped Bucky and Steve rescue you.

The week was going by terribly quick. You were stressed, making last minute changes for the wedding, taking care of your guests and the kingdom, dealing with the effects of being pregnant, it was starting to overwhelm you. Bucky, always in tune to you, noticed and made you both take a full day off, citing that the nobles were adults who could take care of themselves for a day. So that’s where you found yourself. Buried in a blanket, cuddled into Bucky’s arms as you read in your greenhouse, Aurora and Raine curled up at your feet. Despite your earlier protests, you had to admit that being wrapped up in your fiancé’s arms while he pretended to read over your shoulder instead of staring at you felt right. Domestic and perfect. Your racing mind decided to break your peace, however. 

Placing a bookmark into the page, you set your book aside, curling up into Bucky’s chest. He hummed softly, pulling you closer without much complaint. “You never told me how you found me,” your voice broke the comfortable silence that had surrounded the two of you. “And why Sam was hurt when you found Rumlow taking me,” you added. Bucky tensed, sighing softly. You never really asked about how they found you, but the thought kept running through your head. Despite Sam being charged to protect you, you hated that he got hurt somehow, and you didn’t even know how, since he wouldn’t tell you.

“Babe, are you sure you want to know?” He questioned quietly, not wanting to break the peace that surrounded the two of you on your one day off.

“Yes,” you whispered soundly. “I want to know. Day off or not, it’s been running through my head since I came home.”

At your admission, Bucky’s last defense crumbled to ash. He always did think he could never say no to you, no matter what you asked of him. “It was Sam,” he leaned his chin against the top of your head as you buried yourself further into his arm embrace, his hands gently tracing imaginary shapes onto your stomach. “That night, he noticed that not a single one of your usual guards were on duty, that everyone was a new guard. He thought it was suspicious and some on duty guards barred him from your side of the castle, so he found his way to me. Scared me half to death in the middle of my meeting. Just waltzed in, and only gave me a small look. Not two seconds later, Aurora ran in, whimpering and barking. I knew something was off, since she hasn’t left your side since you became pregnant. I was so preoccupied with trying to understand Aurora that I didn’t notice the Hydra guard beside me lunging with a knife. Sam took him down. Got a hell of a beating until he ended him too. We all rushed to follow Aurora, and that’s when I saw Rumlow with his hands on you.” He tensed, and you simply coed, nuzzling your cheek into his side to soothe him. He chuckled softly, relaxing against you. “As for finding you, I just followed your brilliant plan, My Love,” he teased, grinning proudly down at you, making your insides melt. “Our new alliance group took down the outside, which Tony somehow convinced them to name them the Avengers, while Steve and I went inside to get you. I honestly blacked out a bit, I was only focused on finding you. And I did, and now I’m never letting you go.”

He tightened his arms around you, making you smile up at him. “I’ll hold you to that, soon-to-be Husband,” you teased.

His resulting grin made you melt even further into him. “I’d expect nothing less than that, soon-to-be Wife. Now, you should rest. Today is your relaxation day.” He kissed your head, his warm smile scrunching up his eyes, and you thought he looked absolutely adorable.

“I’m stressed and pregnant Bucky, not dying. I’ll be fine. Even most of my wounds are fully healed!” You thought for a split second before grinning. “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown,” you teased, running your hand through his now slightly shorter hair, grateful for the haircut he recently had.

“Excuse me, missy. Don’t quote Shakespeare on me,” he teased back, kissing your wrist as it passed by his face.

“I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest,” you looked up at him, seeing his resulting chuckle.

“Okay fine, you can quote that play, but nothing too cliché,” he nudged your side playfully.

You snickered softly, “Fine, fine, but I’ll be reciting love sonnets later,” you vowed, a mischievous smirk lighting up your features.

He shrugged, acting nonchalantly, “Sounds good to me.” Though he was teasing you, he knew he would listen to absolutely any story or poem that would leave your lips, unequivocally enchanted by your voice. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

\--

Pulling, tugging, prodding, the smell of lavender and vanilla filling the room as Wanda and Natasha fretted over your make-up and hair. Your worries made you zone out, practically unaware to the two girls making sure every detail was perfect. Today was the day. Today you would marry Bucky. Today you would officially be his Queen. Anxieties and insecurities kept filling your mind, and you bit your lip, unsure how to take it all in.

“Y/n/n?” Natasha’s voice pulled you from your thoughts, her gentle smile erasing most of your worries as she fixed your lipstick. “He’s going to love it, y/n/n. He adores you.” Her confidence relaxed you, and you nodded absentmindedly. 

“I just can’t believe it’s actually happening,” you mumbled, lowering your head down as Wanda placed your crown on your head. A gold band laid with black and white pearls, one of your favorites, and technically the last crown you would wear as Princess. 

“Neither can we, but you’re here, it’s happening, and we have thirty minutes to walk you to the aisle.” Wanda tenderly pushed a stray hair behind your ear. “You’ll be an amazing Queen, Mother, and Wife,” she whispered.

Both girls looked at you reverently, seeing their best friend dressed up in white was surreal, and they couldn’t be happier for you. “Thank you, Wan,” you smiled softly, still nervous, especially as you looked into the mirror. Your white lace wedding dress showed more skin than what would have been acceptable if this was the South, but you felt utterly beautiful in it. With a sheer illusion in the back and a small train of lace, you couldn’t help the smile that lifted your lips. Bucky always did say he loved you in lace. 

Following tradition, something new was the dress. Something old and also borrowed was the earrings, pearl earrings that your grandmother once wore to her wedding, that your mother insisted you had to wear. The blue was the hidden lace garter around your thigh. Two rings now adorned your hands, your new engagement ring Bucky gave you the other week, and your royal crest ring, the ring Steve and Bucky gave you before you left the South. And, despite the small argument with Wanda about how it clashed with your dress, your constellation necklace hung around your neck. You felt regal, adorned in jewels without the excess most nobles wore to their own ceremonies.

Time was slowing down, yet still felt too fast, and you were soon beside your brother, arms linked and behind the wooden doors of the throne room. Your bridesmaids were walking up the aisle, and you were just hidden from view, clinging to Steve’s arm. “I hope you brought the Lady you’ve been courting, Lady Peggy. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you running off to be with her since she arrived a week ago,” you commented lightly, waiting for the music change that signaled you to enter.

Steve chuckled beside you, “Well if I wasn’t giving you away and being Buck’s Best Man, I would have had her as my Plus One… Y/n/n… I think she’s the one. My Queen,” his voice died off, and when you looked up at him you could see he had zoned out with a giddy smile on his face.

“Good. From what I hear, she could kick your ass. That’s exactly what you need in a Queen, Stevie. Someone crazy for you but won’t let your bs slide. Do you love her, Stevie?” You nudged his side.

He looked back down at you, nodding. “With all my heart.”

“Then I can’t wait to meet her,” you grinned, squeezing his arm gently.

The music then shifted, causing you to tense faintly. “That’s our cue, y/n/n,” Steve said quietly. Sensing your apprehension, he kissed your head affectionately, supportive as always. “Remember what you said to me before my coronation? It’s the same for you. You’ll be a wonderful Queen, I have no doubt of it, now, shall we?” 

You took a deep breath, nodding. “Let’s,” you mumbled. Steve lead you past the ornate wooden doors, all eyes moving towards you. Yet, as cliché as it sounded, you could only look at one person, Bucky. He was wearing a pure black suit, and his eyes were locked onto yours, his giddy smile made you realize a few things. One, your cheeks were starting to hurt from how hard you were smiling. Two, _gods why haven’t I seen him wearing that before?! That needs to happen more often. _And Three, you were suddenly very close to him. Caught up in looking at him, you failed to realize you were already at the end of the aisle, and beside the altar. You broke eye contact for only a moment, glancing up at Steve and kissing his cheek. Giggling, you wiped off the lipstick that stained his skin. He chuckled before he led your hands to Bucky, who happily laced his fingers with yours as you took your place beside him.

The priest beside you caught your attention, through you still didn’t look away from Bucky, letting the official work through the beginning and the explanation of the ceremony to the crowd of royals and press. Once it was time for the actual handfasting you and Bucky broke your grips on each other, turning slightly to pick up the cords. Steve handed Bucky his, a silver cord with blue and grey threads weaved into the ribbon. Natasha handed you yours, a gold cord with black and red threads etched into the design. 

The cleric wrapped both of your hands together, probably explaining to the audience the significance of two becoming one, but you only were speaking the necessary ‘yes’ when prompted. You made those very promises to each other when you were merely children, speaking them again now wouldn’t change anything. You both knew this was more for the eyes of the royals and nobility, you and Bucky’s two souls were tied together since the day you met, years ago as toddlers on a beach. 

As cliché as it sounds, you were unfocused, lost in Bucky’s blue eyes. Nothing seemed good enough to compare to his eye color. Ice was too cold, which contradicted the warmth you could see in them as he watched you. The sky was too dark, one storm could change how it looked. The ocean was not clear enough to match his eyes. 

_Two things did match his eyes_, you thought. The flowers in your greenhouse, some of which were surrounding your thrones in decoration. Morning glories, which signifies love and mortality, only blooming for a day. You remembered that day, in September, when Bucky had his arms around you as you admired the blooms that would be gone the next day. Blue poppies were the other flowers you realized fit the color his eyes. Remembrance, and hope. Hope for a positive future. It was quite fitting you thought as the officiant finished his speech, your hands tied to Bucky’s. Your future, this time together. 

Your senses seemed to flood to you as Bucky squeezed your hands gently underneath the thick bounded cords. “As your hands are bound together now, so your lives and spirits are joined in a union of love and trust. The bond of marriage is not formed by these cords, but rather by the vows you have made. For always you hold in your own hands the fate of this union. Above you are stars and below you is the earth. Like stars your love should be a constant source of light, and like the earth, a firm foundation from which to grow.

“May these hands be blessed this day. May they always hold each other. May they have the strength to hang on during the storms of stress and the dark of disillusionment. May they remain tender and gentle as they nurture each other in their wondrous love. May they build a relationship founded in love, and rich in caring. May these hands be healer, protector, shelter, and guide for each other.”

“I will now ask you to seal the vows you share with each other by the giving and receiving of rings. The perfect circle of the ring symbolizes eternity. The precious metal came from the ground as a rough ore and was heated and purified, shaped and polished. Something beautiful was made from raw elements. Love is like that. It comes from humble beginnings, made by imperfect beings. It is the process of making something beautiful where there was once nothing at all. Now, if either of you have vows to speak, now would be the time to say them,” you smiled warmly up at Bucky, sliding a silver ring onto his right hand while he slid a golden ring onto your left hand, your two hands closest to the officiant bound by the ribbons.

Bucky took a deep breath pulling a piece of parchment out of his pocket, and you recognized it as the same paper used in the South for special occasions. “Y/n/n, when I knew I wanted to officially court you, Steve let me use one of the parchment papers to write my courtship promise. ’I promise to protect you, love you, and never let anyone harm you. Until the end of the line, until the day my soul no longer exists,’” he read aloud, and you gently squeezed his hand tighter. “I broke that promise, doll, and I know no matter how many times I say it’s not okay you continue to forgive me and tell me it wasn’t my fault, but gods it was. So, to compromise, as I know we are both way too stubborn for our own goods, I thought we could rewrite it a bit, so here’s the new and improved version.” 

He took another deep breath, calming his nerves before he spoke. “’I promise to protect you with everything I am, love you with all my heart, and to do anything necessary to protect you and our family,’” a small gasp ran through the crowd, the underlying admission shocking more than one press member. “‘Until the end of the line, until the day my soul no longer exists, until the day forever ends.’” He finished, and you beamed wetly, his free hand wiping your stray tears. “You guide me home, My Queen, My Northern Star.” He spoke with the utmost adoration, gripping your hands in his own.

“Oh, I guess it’s my turn now,” you teased, a small chuckle running through the audience as you gathered your courage. “Bucky, my dear Princey Bucket, you have been the one thing in my life I cannot fathom a world without. Your teasing when we were children, the picnics we would have by the sea, the little braids you loved doing in my hair when your parents weren’t looking, the double dates Steve always magically found a way out of,” you glanced towards the offending party with a little jeer, more laughter sounding off. “Without you, my life would be unequivocally different. Dull, lifeless, loveless. You are my home, and I will spend every day of eternity reminding you of that if necessary. That’s my promise, my oath. That no matter how much time passes, no matter where the lines of kingdoms fall, I will stand by your side. I’ll protect you from the world just as dutifully as I will protect you from your own thoughts. I’ll support you, tease you as if we were still children, and never back down. I was born a Dragon of the South, yet since the day we met I have always had a piece of the wolf with me. You. My Wolf, My King, My Love.”

“Well, on behalf of all those present, and by the strength of your own love, I pronounce you married. You may seal your vows with a kiss,” the officiant spoke, his voice muddled out in your head over the beat of your racing heart. You playfully tugged Bucky closer, and he chuckled, happily pressing his lips to yours in a chaste kiss. He smelled like lavender and your favorite cologne, his lips tasted like vanilla, the mix of the scents and tastes intoxicating. Pulling away, you heard the crowd clapping and cheering, you and Bucky locking eyes as everything fell into place.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A coronation fit for a Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific warnings:
> 
> teeth rotting fluff! An almost panic attack, flirty!Bucky
> 
> -  
A/N:  
My wonderful beta @annaloveloki (On tumblr) is so amazing I love her so much <3

_Oh gods, he’s actually your husband. _Those were your first thoughts as you and Bucky pulled away from your kiss. Your thoughts were racing, but you kept an appearance of calm. You actually did it, you and Bucky were officially tied together for eternity. _Oh gods, I’m about to be crowned Queen. _As per tradition, Bucky led you the few extra steps to your throne, taking the first few steps as husband and wife, while simultaneously taking your last few steps as Princess. 

The thick cords that surrounded your hands slipped off, Bucky and you carefully placing them on the centerpiece table beside your thrones, knots intact. You took his hand, taking a deep breath as he guided you in front of your throne. “You can do this, y/n/n,” he murmured softly in your ear, squeezing your hand tenderly. “I’ve got you. Always.” You took a deep breath, locking eyes with him as you slowly sunk down to kneel on the steps, thankful for the pillow placed under your knees beforehand. The Northern Priest stepped forward, most likely speaking the traditional coronation prayer to the gods, yet you bowed your head, taking a deep breath to calm your thoughts. You don't think the gods would be too mad if you didn't pay attention to the priest’s words, afterall, you were trying to calm yourself, on the verge of a panic attack. 

A sky-blue cape was placed around your shoulders, the intricate silver designs weaved into the fabric shimmering against the light of the room. Bucky’s hands lingered for a split second longer than necessary, as if to say _I’m here. You can do this. _It worked, the lingering touch was calming to you, grounding you back to earth. The golden tiara was taken from your head, Bucky carefully placing a silver crown embedded with blue sapphires in its place. Carefully taking Bucky’s arm, you rose up, walking hand in hand the last few steps until both you and Bucky stood in front of your respective thrones. Ornate wooden thrones with detailing that rose above your heads. Wolves lined in silver, mountain tops peaked with grey, and snow storms dusted in white. 

“I now present, His Royal Majesty, King James Buchanan Barnes, and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Y/F/N Y/M/N Barnes. King and Queen of the Northern Kingdom.” Sam, now the newly promoted Captain of the Northern Royal Guard, spoke loudly, voice clear before the crowd began to repeat “Long live the King,” as well as “Long live the Queen.”

You squeezed Bucky’s hand gently before letting go, holding your head up against the weight of the crown on your head as you both sat down onto your thrones. A wolf howl broke through the mantra, Aurora yipping happily beside Bucky’s throne. A smaller yip turned your attention to Raine, whose winter fur had come in, making her look like a slightly smaller grey and black version of Aurora. She nudged her muzzle into your side, faithfully sitting beside your throne. Reaching over the small space between the thrones, you laced your hand into Bucky’s metal hand, exchanging nervous yet excited smiles.

\---

As the crowds moved to the ballroom for the reception, you stayed close to Bucky, his hands never leaving you. Even after you two were announced and ushered into the ballroom, making the rounds of the nobles, smiling and thanking each congratulation, he was always touching you in some way. Fingers intertwined together, a hand on your lower back where sheer illusion met lace, small whispers in your ear, lips grazing just past the shell of your ear. 

“You look utterly radiant, My Queen,” another whisper in between nobles, this time right before you stood in front of Steve.

“Why thank you, My Love. And you look positively gorgeous,” you gave his cheek a chaste kiss, grinning before turning to your brother. “Stevie! Where are your manners? Aren’t you going to introduce this lovely Lady?” you teased, smiling warmly at the woman hand in hand with Steve.

The man in question went red, nervously chuckling. “My apologies, My Queen,” he pronounced in an exaggerated voice, feigning a mocking tone as he faked a bow. 

You couldn’t stop the giggles that escaped your lips as you hugged him before playfully nudging his shoulder. “Well?” you motioned towards newcomer.

Steve looked anxious, his shoulders hunched faintly, his eyes darting between you and the woman beside him as Bucky’s hand found its way to the small of your back. “This is Lady Peggy Carter, y/n/n. My Lady, this is my sister, Queen y/n.” You smiled warmly at the woman, already knowing everything about her, either told to you directly from Steve or from Natasha’s digging (not that you would ever admit to that).

She gave a small curtsy, her victory red lips curled up in a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” her honey like voice felt warm in your ears. You also wouldn’t admit out loud how you knew she was practically perfect to be a royal. Polite, intelligent, no nonsense, and also beautiful. She glanced up towards Steve, and their eyes locked, the world seemingly melting around them. Any doubt you had towards the two was gone the instant you saw that look. You recognized that expression. That was the same look you would see from Bucky when you flipped Sam on his ass a few weeks ago while sparring. It was the same look you saw from him during random parts of the day when you were lounging and reading a book. It was an expression of pure adoration. The two were unquestionably smitten for each other.

“Well, it was lovely meeting you as well, Lady Peggy. I do look forward to the next time we see each other. Until then, I did promise my husband here a dance, so if you do excuse us.” You grabbed onto Bucky’s hand and tugged him onto the dance floor, and he chuckled as you pulled him into a slow dance. “Don’t laugh at me like that!” you whisper yelled, glaring up at him as he pulled you closer. “They barely even noticed we were there, they were lost gazing into each other’s eyes.”

Bucky chuckled, nodding as he held you close, swinging with the music. “I won’t be surprised when we get the call saying he finally asked her to marry him. They’re good for each other.”

You hummed in acknowledgment before replying. “That they are. Now, dear Husband, care to twirl me?” 

He smiled in response, pulling away from you to lead you in a careful twirl before holding you close again. He leaned in, and to every royal there, it simply looked like the newly married couple was dancing the night away. “There’s one more vow I wanted to make, My Love,” he spoke softly. “A vow to our future children, one I couldn’t share with the press there at the wedding.” You hummed in response. He held you close, your foreheads pressed together, taking in the intimate moment. “I swear to all the gods, the old and new, that I will protect all of us. I’ll guide them, not just as the future leaders of the North, but as their father. As their friend, their protector. And while I will absolutely spoil them, I will also teach them to follow your example. To be caring to those under our protection, to be fierce in love, and strong in their convictions.” 

Letting your eyes close, you pressed a kiss to his lips, your arms wrapped around his neck. “I hope they are like you, My Love. Two small children running through the greenhouse with your bright y/e/c eyes.”

“Running into the tide along the beach house we’re still working on,” he continued, smiling as you breathed each other in. “Braiding flowers into our daughter’s hair, finding shells along the shore with our son.”

“Have you thought about names, My Love?” 

He tucked a stray hair behind your ear before he responded. “Don’t tell Steve, but I want to name one of them after him if we have a boy, a little prince. How about you?”

You grinned, “Brooklyn if we have a girl. Two broken lands coming together.”

“Brooklyn,” he repeated, smiling warmly. “I love it. Our little princess.”

He gently spun you into a twirl as the music shifted to a lively piece, another traditional dance from the North, but to the music of one of your favorite Disney films. As the string orchestra played a rendition of Beauty and The Beast, Bucky happily led you in the dance. “I have loved you all my life, y/n/n,” he said softly, twirling you as the song began to end. “And now I get to spend the rest of that life with you.” 

He kissed your head as you moved past him, grinning as you both took the customary steps back from each other at the same time, only connected by the very hands that were knotted together not too long ago. You followed the rest of the women dancing with their partners and dipped into a curtsey, now the only person you would bow to would be Bucky himself. The men all bowed to their partners, you didn’t look to upset when Bucky didn’t. Tradition in both your cultures stated that the king never bowed to another, that the king was the highest position in the land. Yet as you rose to standing tall again, Bucky tugged your interlaced hands to his lips, kissing your knuckles. “You know, I have never bowed to anyone, not even my parents. Yet you, you are My Queen, my equal in every way,” he dipped into a deep bow, your eyes widening as he kissed your knuckle again. He slowly rose, smirking as the crowd around you gasped. “I will always bow to you, My Northern Star, my Home.”

“Bucky,” you whispered a little breathlessly, definitely not expecting that to happen.

“Rules are meant to be broken, doll,” he smirked, and you couldn’t help the smile on your face. He pulled you close again, the crowd getting over their shock to go back to dancing. As another slow song started to play, Bucky drew you against his chest, your back pressed against him as you swayed to the slow beat.

He kissed up the column of your neck, smirking as you held back a mewl. “We’re still in public, you absolute menace.” You mumbled, but as he pressed more soft kisses to your pulse point you felt your resolve waning.

“But y/n/n, my dear wife, we still need to consummate the marriage,” he murmured into your ear, his voice sending shivers down your spine. He chuckled warmly, “But I have patience. I’ve waited a lifetime for you, I can wait a few more hours.”

You spun in his arms, pressing yourself closer to him, melting into his chest. “Our waits are over, dear husband,” you ran your thumb against his lips, cupping his jaw. “Every second of worry and heartbreak was worth it, because now I can spend the rest of forever with you.”

He chuckled against you hand, happily leaning into your touch. “Forever. Gods, I can’t wait,” he teased, kissing your palm.

“I can promise you it will be worth it, My Love. You’re always worth the wait, My Princey Bucket,” you kissed his nose with a smile.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. I’d wait an eternity for you, My Precious Princess.” He took your hand and twirled you again, the two of you swaying and dancing to the music. Dancing the night away in each other’s arms, content and finally together. Your waiting was over. Forever started today.


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years later...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter specific Warnings:
> 
> Tooth rotting fluff!

Growing up, summer was always one of your favorite times of the year. Waking up early to search for seashells with Steve and Bucky or sneaking ice cream into your rooms as you made pillow forts were some of your fondest childhood memories. Now, you spent the summers running the Kingdom, listening to the people, helping as many people as you could, and taking a few weeks off vacation in the South when possible. In the five years since you’ve come to the North, the kingdom has prospered. A good harvest led to a great harvest, and despite a few hiccups and arguments, Bucky was right, you were a great leader for the people. He also did an absolutely wonderful job, listening to the people to build more schools, lowering crime rates, and taxing the nobles more heavily than the lower classes. Some scholars theorized that the kingdom was in the beginning of a new golden age.

So today, like every first Monday of the month for the past few years, you sit on your throne, listening to every person who made the trek to ask for help or thank you. Some days were easy, such as the days where most residents thanked you for the new marketplace that brought jobs to their town. However, some days felt darker, like the day a mother begged for help for her dying son, help she didn’t have the funds to pay for back in her village. Not sparing a second thought, Bucky watched as you helped the boy into Dr. Cho’s arms. The boy miraculously lived, and in response, you had immediately put into place a new health policy in the kingdom. Tax revenues were split, and the extra funds made it possible for the lower class to have health services for a much lower rate, and in some cases free. 

The particular woman who was speaking to you, was bringing up an argument between her and her neighbor. A petty fight, really, but you listened nonetheless, giving your opinion. Bucky was the one who answered the next inhabitant's problem. 

Usually the kingdom didn’t give you too much trouble, it was mostly the advisors who defied you, never liking your ideas. Bucky, bless his heart, tended to shut them down pretty quickly, his warm voice turning into ice, the protective wolf in him lashing out. Such as the time you shot down an advisor’s idea, one that would only hurt the lower class. His anger exploded, criticizing Bucky when he tried to come to your defense. “Do you allow her to speak that way for you?” the advisor, one you truly didn’t care enough to even know his name had spoken to his king in a harsh way.

Bucky merely snarled back, “Yes, I do, this as well as in many other things, you’d be wise to remember that.” His voice was cold, the first words in his head being growled out at the man. You had placed your hand on top of Bucky’s calming him. You could practically see the steam rolling off his head, something you definitely teased him about later. 

You had kept your voice calm, though the advisors that knew you better than that could hear the venom in your words. “Thank you for your concern, _sir,_” you emphasized his lower title, “but I do believe your King and Queen can handle the problems of the people, and I do not believe I asked for your opinion on this matter.” You quickly dismissed the rest of the meeting, before adding, “And sir, do remember, I am your Queen. You are _not _my equal, and you will address me as such.” Eyes wide he quickly bowed and rushed off before you could change your mind.

A small squeal from your right pulled you from your thoughts of the past, two small children rushed into the throne room, followed by two blurs of white and grey fur. You son made it to you first, scrambling to hide behind you just as you stood from the throne. You held him close, just out of reach from Aurora and Raine who yipped happily. Your daughter, however, jumped straight into Bucky’s arms, curling up into her clearly favorite parent. 

“Brooklyn, what have we said about chasing your brother down the halls?” You chastised softly, still trying to calm the shaking boy wrapped around your leg.

“To plway in the garden instead,” the five-year-old responded dutifully. Bucky tucked her hair behind her ear, just as Natasha rushed in, cradling a small baby in her hands. 

“Grant! Brooklyn! There you two are! You shouldn’t run away from me like that!” Brooklyn just buried herself deeper into her father’s protective arms, pouting. Natasha was most likely regretting telling Wanda it was alright to leave all three children in her care, so she could spend time with her new fiancé, the Head Chef, Vision.

“I’m sowwy auntie,” the little girl sniffled, looking up towards the two of you with tears already brimming her eyes. You knew it was just to gain your attention, so you simply did just that. You gently took the babe from Natasha’s arms, cradling the four-month-old into your chest as your son still buried his face into your long white gown.

Bucky sighed softly, gently prying his daughter’s face from his chest. “What do we say, little princess?” he encouraged, making sure she knew he wasn’t mad at her as both you and him gave her the attention she wanted.

Brooklyn sulked again but carefully pushed herself out of her father’s arms, standing in front of her twin brother. “I’m sowwy, bwutha.” She sniffled again, her tiara tilted vicariously in her hair, and Grant pouted as well. You always loved how they wore matching pouts and eyes to their father, as it reminded you of when you were a child. Brooklyn was a ball of energy, and many of her tutors said her main issue was how she could never sit still. You secretly encouraged it, knowing how much energy your future little queen would need. Grant was always the quieter one, reminding you of when Bucky first came back to you. Calculating, quiet, but eyes wide and always taking in new information. The twins knew each other perfectly, and with one sad ‘I’m sorry’ look from Brooklyn, Grant pushed forward and the two hugged each other. They curled up into each other, even when they were babies they always found a way to be close together. Two matching blue eyes looked up at you for approval, wondering silently if it was safe for them to go back to their games. You nodded, and both scrambled to the gardens to play, two adult wolves and one Natasha rushing after them.

You turned to the crowd, holding the baby closer just as she woke up from the noise. “If there aren’t any more life or death situations, I do think it is time to wrap up for today. Food will be served down the hall for anyone who did not bring their own, follow the guards if you have any trouble finding it.”

Bucky stepped closer to you, wrapping his arm around you. “And thank you all for coming,” he smiled warmly before turning his attention to you, pulling you into his arms. “And how is my little princess doing?” he coed at the babe in your arms, who simply squealed and squirmed in your arms. 

“I’m doing fine, thanks for asking,” you teased, grinning up at him. 

“Ha, ha, very funny, but _you _are my Queen, this little cutie is my little princess!” he went back to cooing at the babe, thoroughly enjoying her little shrieks of enjoyment. “My beautiful Celeste,” he kissed her nose, grinning at her responding wiggle, “And My Northern Star,” he whispered before kissing you decisively on the lips. Tender lips against yours, and not a care in the world as you held your baby close, and Bucky held you even closer.

Slowly pulling away as Celeste squirmed for attention, you both couldn’t stop the smiles on your faces. A sudden spark in your mind made you smile even brighter. “Did you hear what Steve and Peggy are naming their child?” The two had gotten married not two years after your own marriage, and now (finally) were expecting their first child together. 

“I suppose you’re bringing that up since you’re going to tell me, right?” He teased you back, his hands pressed against your hips, rubbing gentle circles into the fabric of your dress.

You nodded, biting back a smile, “Steve joked and said maybe they should name the baby James since you never have used the name anyway,” you paused, giggling as you saw Bucky’s face scrunch up, positively offended. “But, instead they wanted to name their child after Sam, since he says you stole his close friend and captain of the guard from him.”

Bucky gave you a small gasp, feigning a surprised look, ever the drama queen. “Me? Never!” He dropped the act in favor of smiling again. “Besides, he was the one who sent Sam in the first place, not my fault we became friends.” He shrugged, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“You absolute dorks,” you kissed his nose playfully.

“But I’m your dork, y/n/n,” he whispered softly.

You nodded solemnly, like it was a big burden to bare. “That you are. Now, let’s go, My Love, we still have to pack for our trip to the beach house in the South.” You tried tugging yourself from his arms, but with a baby in your arms it was pretty hard to do that.

“I know, I know, our yearly vacation. Maybe this time we can give Brooklyn and Grant a baby brother?” he teased, smirking at the implications despite the obvious joke.

“Oh no, mister, that’s how last year’s conversation started. I just had Celeste, I am _not _doing that again so soon.” You gave him a look and he simply chuckled, pulling you closer as the two of you walked side by side through the halls.

“I’m kidding, My Love. Besides, we can have plenty of practice,” you couldn’t help the laugh that escaped your lips.

“Yeah, yeah, I love you too,” you nuzzled closer into his warm embrace.

“I love you even more, My Queen.” He kissed your head lightly and you realized how truly at peace you were. No more waiting, no more war. Simply two people in utterly in love, surrounded by their ever-growing family, having the time of your lives. Baby steps had become a literal phrase as the children grew up, and everything felt right in the world. Peaceful, content, full of happiness, your children’s laughter in the distance. You finally did it. The Northern Castle was finally a home again.


End file.
